South Korea reported less than 50 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, but the country remained on alert over a potential resurgence of infections during the Chuseok holiday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 38 cases were added in the last 24 hours, including 23 local infections and 15 imported from abroad, bringing the cumulative total to 23,699.
The daily tally is the lowest in 49 days since August 11, when 34 cases were reported, just before clusters of infections emerged from a church and an anti-government rally in Seoul on Liberation Day.
Authorities have urged people to stay home over the holidays, but to better contain local spread of the virus, the government has implemented a strengthened Level 2 social distancing scheme through October 11.
Current measures include a ban on indoor gatherings of 50 or more people and outdoor meetings of 100 or more people, while sports events are allowed without spectators.
Meanwhile, health officials continue to keep close watch over sporadic clusters, which continued to emerge from workplaces, nursing homes, churches and day care centers, particularly in the Seoul metro area.
The KDCA also confirmed one more virus-related fatality, raising the death toll to 407.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
