(Photo: Yonhap News)
South Korea has recorded more than 500 new coronavirus cases for the first time in over eight months.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that 583 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, raising the national tally to 32,318.
The death toll reached 515 after two more coronavirus patients succumbed to the disease.
The last time the daily tally exceeded 500 was on March 6, when 518 were reported due to a massive outbreak in the southeastern city of Daegu.
According to the KDCA, 402 of the latest cases were from the densely population greater Seoul area, where around half of the country's 52 million people reside.
Since the government relaxed social distancing to the lowest level last month, there has been a steady increase in local transmission of COVID-19, prompting authorities to again implement tougher measures to contain the spread.
On Tuesday, social distancing was raised to Level 2 in the capital region, the third highest in the country's revised five-tier virus alert system, to try and stave off a third wave of the pandemic.
But cluster infections from private gatherings, public facilities, hospitals and the military are dragging down containment efforts.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said, "We are now in a situation where virus outbreaks can happen at any place we live in," stressing everyone must cooperate with quarantine and health guidelines.
Authorities have signaled that stricter social distancing may soon be enforced nationwide.
Please send comments to tbsefmnews@gmail.com / copyright © tbs. Unauthorized redistribution prohibited.
