COVID-19 continues spreading amid relaxed social distancing

Two months has passed since social distancing Level 1 was put in place across Korea. The COVID-19 pandemic that has penetrated the public’s fatigue has been increasingly gathering momentum. The number of confirmed cases hit 61 on Sunday, as the number remained above 60 for three consecutive days (63 on Friday, 63 on Saturday). It is the first time in three months since April 3 – 5 that confirmed cases have exceeded the 60 mark.

The unwritten principle that the number of confirmed cases declines during weekends due to a fewer number of tests performed has been broken as well. Due to the rapid pace of spread in the Gwangju region, South Jeolla Province will upgrade its social distancing to Level 2 from Monday. It is the second municipality to put in place the strengthened quarantine level after Gwangju Metropolitan City that started the measure on Wednesday last week. The province has banned an indoor assembly involving more than 50 people and an outdoor assembly more than 100 people.

The number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide hit 212,326 on Saturday. It is the highest number since the COVID-19 case was first reported in China. Warnings over epidemics have been intensified as well. “As people will get exhausted from the prolonged practice, the government should upgrade social distancing level at least temporarily and strengthen quarantine, so as to decrease the number of new confirmed cases,” said Prof. Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital.


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