South Korea’s Covid-19 cases hit record daily high

Seoul, Dec 25 (efe-epa).- South Korea recorded a new daily record in the number of Covid-19 cases on Friday with 1,241, as the government called on residents to redouble efforts to stop the spread of the epidemic that has caused 773 deaths.

The figure provided by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) far exceeds the 985 cases registered in the country on Thursday.

Much of the increase in cases in recent hours is linked to an outbreak that emerged in a detention center in eastern Seoul, with 288 infections.

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called on local authorities and the general population to strictly observe the social restrictions imposed to prevent a further spread of the virus.

“A vast majority of the nation is faithfully adhering to the government’s antivirus measures despite the inconvenience and pain they entail,” Chung said, according to local news agency Yonhap.

“But if a few cheat for their own gains it is difficult to expect results from participating in the antivirus measures,” added the senior official.

Restrictions in place in South Korea include a ban on gatherings with five or more people. Anyone who does not respect this measure can be fined up to 3 million won ($2,725).

South Korea was one of the first countries that the new coronavirus that was first recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan reached, but the measures initially imposed allowed the Seoul government to control the impact of the first wave.

The country, however, is in the middle of the third wave of the epidemic, which to date has infected 54,700 people since the first case on Jan. 3, according to data from the KDCA. EFE-EPA

co-ag/tw