[Anchor]
The government has again stressed the importance of social distancing to prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus.
Kim Gang-lip, deputy head of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, told reporters Monday that South Korea could still see an explosive amount of locally-transmitted infections like Europe and the United States.
Ron Chang reports.
[Reporter]
Kim reiterated the importance of not being complacent towards COVID-19, saying the risk of more infections in South Korea remains high.
He said sporadic mass infections continue to pop up at multiuse facilities such as churches and hospitals.
Kim expressed regret towards the public adhering to social distancing guidelines less during the past two weeks, noting there could've been a drop in infections if the measures were followed.
On Saturday, the government announced a further two-week extension of its social distancing campaign.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun insisted the move was inevitable.
Despite the extension, South Korea saw around a 20 percent increase of movement of its population over the weekend compared to the end of February.
This is according to SK Telecom mobile big data analyzed by the government.
The figure represents an apparent easing of public concern towards the coronavirus outbreak.
The data showed that here in Seoul, there was an increase of residents visiting commercial areas such as Myeongdong and Hongdae and parks, including Namsan and the Han River.
Ron Chang, eFM News.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
