[Breaking] 1,048 Infections Surge in Seoul After 8 Days: "Outside the Home is Dangerous"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] According to Seoul City on the 24th, 1,048 people were confirmed positive for COVID-19 over the 8 days from the 15th to the 22nd.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 situation in Korea, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Seoul was 1,841 over about 7 months until the 14th of this month, but in just 8 days afterward, the number surged by about 1,000, bringing the total close to 3,000.

The daily number of new confirmed cases in Seoul surged starting from August 15, Liberation Day.

From about 74 cases on the 14th, the number doubled to 146 on the 15th, then from the 17th to the 22nd, the daily counts were 132 → 151 → 135 → 126 → 128 → 140. Except for the 16th (90 cases), the daily cases remained in the triple digits for 7 consecutive days.

As multiple cluster infections spread simultaneously, the areas with new confirmed cases expanded throughout Seoul.

Until early this month, when a cluster infection occurred in one district, it affected 2 to 3 neighboring districts, but from mid-month, there have been many days with new confirmed cases reported in all 25 autonomous districts of Seoul.

With the heightened risk of infection spread, health authorities and experts have repeatedly emphasized 'staying at home' and 'wearing masks.'

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), appealed during a regular briefing on the afternoon of the 23rd, saying, "The driving force that controlled the explosive outbreak in Daegu and Gyeongbuk in February and March was the public’s voluntary practice of social distancing," and urged, "Please stay home as much as possible and always wear masks properly when in contact with others."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.