By 9 PM, 48,491 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed Nationwide

On the first day of outdoor mask mandate lifting, the 2nd, citizens are moving through the streets of Myeongdong, Seoul. The government judged that the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases, critically ill patients, and deaths are clearly decreasing, and the medical system is relatively stable, so from this day onward, the obligation to wear masks outdoors has been lifted. However, the obligation to wear masks remains for gatherings of 50 or more people, events, performances, and sports game viewings where crowd density is high and there is a risk of droplet spread due to shouting. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] As of 9 PM on the 9th, more than 48,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide.

According to Seoul and other local governments, from midnight to 9 PM on this day, 48,491 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is an increase of 28,373 cases compared to 20,118 cases reported during the same time frame the previous day.

Compared to 49,507 cases reported during the same time frame one week ago on the 2nd, the number decreased by 1,016 cases; however, the decline is somewhat slower compared to the decrease of 26,437 cases between two weeks ago on the 25th of last month (75,944 cases) and last week. Since the count continues until midnight, the final number of new confirmed cases announced on this day is expected to increase to around 50,000.

As of 9 PM on this day, new confirmed cases were 21,662 (44.7%) in the metropolitan area and 26,829 (55.3%) in non-metropolitan areas.

By region, the numbers are as follows: Gyeonggi 11,161, Seoul 8,142, Gyeongnam 3,319, Daegu 3,145, Gyeongbuk 2,826, Incheon 2,417, Jeonbuk 2,359, Jeonnam 2,303, Chungnam 2,168, Gangwon 1,828, Busan 1,801, Chungbuk 1,790, Daejeon 1,547, Gwangju 1,515, Ulsan 1,321, Sejong 466, and Jeju 383.

From the 2nd, the daily new confirmed cases over the past week were 51,121 → 49,055 → 42,291 → 26,714 → 39,600 → 40,064 → 20,601, averaging 38,492 cases per day.

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