Korea's new virus cases stayed below 300 on Sunday, but massive outbreaks in the greater Seoul area over the past two weeks have pushed the nation’s cumulative caseload to almost 20,000, health officials said.

The public health authorities are on high alert about further spread as the outbreak that started in the metropolitan area is spreading across the country. Notably, the proportion of patients whose infection is unclear exceeded 20 percent.

The nation reported 248 new virus cases -- 238 local infections and 10 foreign arrivals -- raising the accumulated number to 19,947 as of midnight Monday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Religious institutions remained as the single biggest source of the Covid-19 infection.

Of the locally transmitted patients, cases tied to Sarang Jeil Church have increased to 1,035 as of Monday. The authorities also confirmed a series of infections at religious facilities in Yeongdeungpo-gu (17 cases) and Dongjak-gu (22 cases) in Seoul, and Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province (10 cases).

Infections related to the anti-government demonstrations in central Seoul on Aug. 15 have also climbed to 369.

Believing that this week will be the “last opportunity” to check the nationwide spread, the government began to restrict the operations of restaurants, bakeries, and franchise coffee chains in the greater Seoul area from Sunday.

The scheme, which will run for a week, mandates restaurants and bakeries to run their business until 9 p.m., allowing only takeout and delivery from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The government has also put a more tight restriction on franchise coffee chains as such venues have continued to emerge as a source of cluster infections. Under the new regulation, coffee shop chains will only be able to do takeout or delivery regardless of operating hours.

The new regulation will also suspend indoor sports facilities, including fitness centers, large academies in the wider Seoul area, and ban people from visiting nursing homes and facilities.

Starting from Monday, one-third of all employees at government agencies, and public institutions will also work from home. Health authorities have also recommended private companies take similar steps to contain further spread of the virus.

The move comes after the number of new infection cases have shown no signs of easing while the government remained cautious about raising the social distancing guidelines to the highest level because of its far-reaching impact on the economy.

"This week will determine whether the virus will be contained or not," Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said. "We urge citizens to stay at home this week as much as possible and minimize contact."

More than 20 percent of new cases in the past two weeks occurred with their sources of infection unknown, he added.

Park stressed that while the quarantine authorities are doing their best to break the link of infection, sporadic infections occurring nationwide are making such efforts difficult.

"The tighter social distancing can be complete with their reinforcement by central and local governments and the entire nation," Park said. "Each and every citizen should become the main agent of quarantine efforts."

In addition to the government's new quarantine scheme, the Seoul city government has also asked citizens to suspend their daily activities for a week.

"Citizens of Seoul, now is the time to share the pain," the city's acting mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said, during an online press briefing. "We ask citizens to follow daily quarantine guidelines and give up their daily routine for this week."

In line with such a decision, the city will reduce buses' nighttime operation by 20 percent, he added.

The nation reported 10 imported cases. Two patients were from Russia, and one from Oman, UK, Germany, Turkey, U.S., Brazil, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

One more patient died of Covid-19 Sunday, pushing up the death toll to 324. An additional 70 fully cured people were discharged from quarantine, increasing the total to 14,973. The country has tested 1,937,689 people since Jan. 3.

corea022@docdocdoc.co.kr

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