정부 “거리두기 실천 떨어져…추석, 코로나19 유행 결정할 분수령”
Daily tally of Covid-19 in South Korea in triple digits for the third day today.
With the numbers still above one-hundred with the Chuseok holiday just around the corner, health authorities remain concerned that mass migration during one of Korea's largest holidays could cause another wave of the virus.
Bae Eun-ji reports.
South Korea reported one-hundred-14 new COVID-19 cases on Friday...a third consecutive day of triple-digit increases.
95 were local transmissions while 19 were imported from overseas.
Of the domestic cases, more than 70-percent were from the greater Seoul area with 83.
With daily transmissions on the rise again after dropping to as low as 61 on Tuesday, health officials remain alert...especially with Chuseok fast approaching.
There are concerns that the holiday, which starts on September 30th, may spark another wave of the virus.
"I think it depends on the Chuseok holiday... whether we continue to see a slowdown of COVID-19 or see a larger resurgence later."
Health officials are advising citizens, especially the elderly, to refrain from visiting relatives during the holiday, as they are at a higher risk of infection compared to others.
"We ask all citizens to stay home this holiday... for you and your family."
If visiting relatives is unavoidable, authorities are asking citizens to use private vehicles rather than taking public transport.
But with the stricter social distancing measures being in place for more than a month now, there are concerns that people are not abiding by the rules strictly enough.
"The outbreak hasn't gone away yet. We still need to follow the social distancing rules. I advise everyone to stay at home and refrain from attending large gatherings this holiday."
The total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 23-thousand-four-hundred-55.
There are two additional deaths,... raising the death toll to three-hundred-95.
Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.