Earlier we reported that South Korea had seen a spike in new coronavirus cases linked to a Itaewon – a popular nightlife district in the capital Seoul.
The area was unusually empty on Saturday after the mayor ordered bars and clubs to close. Many venues displayed signs reading “temporarily closed”.
“The district has turned into a complete ghost town,” a restaurant owner told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. “Normally this is supposed to be the busiest time of the day. Now, there’s not a single customer.”
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said the country must not let its guard down to the virus after 34 new cases were reported on Sunday, the biggest daily rise in a month.
South Korea was once a Covid-19 hotspot but was hailed for its response to the virus – using technology and testing to avoid a total lockdown.
The country, which has a similar sized capital to the UK, relied on a test-and-trace policy to fight its initial outbreak.
Pairing its emergency text alert system with CCTV footage, the government managed to identify carriers and notify people who were in recent contact with them.
On Sunday, days after easing some social distancing restrictions, South Korea reported 34 new cases – the highest daily rise in weeks. Many of those were linked to a cluster in popular nightlife district in the capital, Seoul.
South Korea’s total death toll so far is just 256.
source:BBC
