정은경 "하루 확진자 950∼1200명 예측…최고 위기 상황"

Our starting point tonight:
Schools in the South Korean capital and surrounding areas are ordered to close from tomorrow as the nation battles its worst outbreak of novel coronavirus since the pandemic began... surpassing the previous peak in February.
There was a drop off in the number of cases today compared to yesterday, but the number still remains high and health authorities here are warning the nation could soon see up to 12-hundred cases per day.
Jang Tae-hyun leads our coverage tonight.
South Korea reported 718 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday a sharp fall after the all-time high 1,030 cases on Sunday.
Most of the new infections were in the greater capital area but sporadic infections continue to pop up nationwide.
Health authorities say that now is the toughest moment of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Based on our calculation as of December 13th,... the R number is at 1-point-2-8. We predict that there will soon be 950 to 1,200 daily cases."
Cases are rising at companies, nursing homes and churches.
A total of 162 cases have been linked to a church in Gangseo-gu District in Seoul.
And, 72 have been linked to a nursing hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do Province.
According to the country's health agency,... there are five major COVID-19 infection routes.
The first is gatherings of family and friends... followed by company offices.
The third in the list is nursing hospitals... where COVID-19 infection is riskier as the patients are seniors.
Also on the list are sports and leisure facilities... and medical facilities.
In light of the high number of cases in the capital, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has decided to move all schools to online learning from Tuesday.
Authorities warn that, should the situation continue, it's inevitable the nation's distancing level will be raised to the highest tier: Level 3.
Jang Tae-hyun, Arirang News.