South Korea on Thursday reported 583 new cases of Covid-19 infection, the highest daily number in eight months, and which authorities now call "the third wave" of the epidemic.
The majority of new infections were recorded in Seoul (208 new infections), and in the surrounding province of Gyeonngi (177 new cases), according to data from the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
"With this third wave of infections increasing in size and rate of spread, we must strictly adhere to social distancing rules," Health Minister Park Neung Hoo said, Yonhap News Agency reports.
Last week South Korea reintroduced restrictions in the capital Seoul capital and in some parts of the north-eastern Gangwon region.
Since the start of the epidemic, South Korea has detected a total of 32,318 coronavirus infections, and a total of 515 deaths.
The country of a 52 million population, has been widely praised for its early response to the outbreak and for having been able to avoid large-scale lockdowns.
The Brussels Times
