• March 11, 2020
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COVID-19 cases in South Korea rise for the first time in 5 days

Cases in South Korea have risen with 242 new infections detected today, 11 March. This is the first increase in infections in the country following a 5-day steady trend of declines, which raised hopes that the outbreak may be close to being contained. As of press time, the total number of cases in the South is at 7,755 with 60 fatalities.

The peak daily tally in the country was at 909 on 29 February, at the height of the government’s testing of the 200,000 members of religious sect Shincheonji Church of Christ. With that widespread testing nearly finished, recent days showed a slowing trend in Korea’s number of cases.

New clusters, however, have appeared at a call centre in Seoul as well as students and teachers of a dance school with a country-wide presence. At least 90 people in Seoul tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and these are either people who work at a call centre in the capital or relatives of these employees.

The authorities remain on high alert for new jumps in infections because of these infection clusters and have reminded the public not to let their guard down in the meantime as small cluster infections may still occur.