Korea's daily Covid-19 cases surpassed 300 as community outbreaks continued to wreak havoc, mainly in the greater Seoul region.

The nation reported 324 new virus cases – 315 local infections and nine foreign arrivals -- raising the cumulative caseload to 16,670 as of midnight Thursday, the Korea Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention said. The daily tally surpassed the 300-person range for the first time since March 8 when the daily virus cases reached 367.

As the majority of the local infections continued to appear in the greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would ban all gatherings of 10 or more people held in the capital and its vicinity from midnight Thursday to Aug. 30.

According to officials at the City Hall, the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people is a measure equivalent to the government's Level 3 social distancing, to prevent nationwide spread.

The central government raised the social distancing scheme in the Seoul metro region from Level 1 to 2 last Sunday but finds it difficult to keep community spreads even with strengthened measures.

"Seoul is most concerned about the spread of sporadic infection due to its high population density and a large floating population," a municipal official said. "So, we have decided to implement a part of the Level 3 measures to block the risk of the spread of the Covid-19 virus."

Under the reinforced scheme, 12 high-risk facilities will have to close down shop until the social distancing plan is downgraded. Businesses that fall under this category include entertainment pubs such as clubs and karaoke bars, pubs, concerts, indoor group sports, buffets, PC cafes, direct sales promotion centers, and large learning academies.

The number of confirmed cases had stayed above 200 for about a week and jumped to over 300 on Thursday. In Seoul alone, more than 100 confirmed cases have been occurring daily since last Sunday.

The City Hall has also decided to report the hosts and participants in any rallies in violation of the new rule to the police. Following the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act, a fine of up to 3 million won ($2,531) may be imposed on offenders.

Health officials have been struggling to control cases tied to Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul led by an ultra-right pastor, Jun Kwang-hoon, and a massive anti-government rally in central Seoul last weekend, thinking the church and the rally worked as catalysts in throwing the entire nation into a crisis of a second viral wave.

According to the KCDC, cases tied to the Sarang Jeil Church came to 676 as of Thursday, up 53 from a day earlier.

Pastor Jun and his followers are even systematically sabotaging the quarantine efforts by refusing to take tests and attacking health workers while criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration for clamping down on religious rights, abetted by the North Korean regime. The general public and media outlets are calling for harsher punishment of the church and its leader for disrupting social order and threatening public health.

The government will not allow in-person church worship services. Protestant churches should conduct regular worship services in a non-face-to-face manner such as online and small groups and meals are also prohibited. However, the government will allow regular in-person worship for other religious facilities, such as Roman Catholic churches and Buddhist temples, on the premise that they observe strict quarantine rules.

Despite the huge spike in local cases, trainee doctors have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Friday in protest against a government plan and the ruling party to increase medical school admission quotas.

According to the Korea Intern Resident Association (KIRA), interns and the fourth-year resident will start their walkout on Friday, while a third-year resident and first and second-year residents will also join the protest on Saturday and Sunday. All interns and residents working in the emergency medicine department will also stop all work from this day.

Major hospitals in Seoul have said that they have already postponed surgery scheduled and reassigned manpower to cope with the strike

However, as KIRA announced that it would continue the strike indefinitely, concerns are gradually rising about setbacks resulting from the strike in anti-coronavirus fight.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed regret over the doctors' strike and asked the doctors to return to their hospital to protect the public.

"We are very sorry that the doctors responsible for protecting the lives of the people have taken action in a severe situation where Covid-19 is spreading again," Chung said. "What the people want now is for Korea to band together and fight against Covid-19."

corea022@docdocdoc.co.kr

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