Korea’s new Covid-19 cases rebounded to 40 on Wednesday, the highest in 49 days, as health officials kept wrestling with persistent club-linked infections, and a large warehouse southwest of Seoul emerged as a new cluster.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 37 local infections and three arrivals from overseas, pushing up the total to 11,265. As of midnight Tuesday, the number of confirmed patients linked to Itaewon clubs reached 255.
More than 60 new cases have been confirmed among the employees of a logistics center of Coupang in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, and their family members.
Bucheon Mayor Jang Deok-chun said via his Facebook on Tuesday that the city would return to social distancing. The town, located between Seoul and the western port city of Incheon, has also decided to put off the reopening of its kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, except for high school seniors.
Starting from Wednesday, some 2.37 million kindergartners and students of lower grades throughout the nation went back to their schools, which reopened for students about three months later than usual.
However, at least 450 schools in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and North Gyeongsang Province delayed their reopening after finding some confirmed cases among their students.
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, all passengers boarding domestic and international flights are mandated to wear masks from Wednesday.
Besides, as the mandatory mask-wearing is in effect when using public transportation from Tuesday, transport operators must wear a mask when passengers are on buses and taxis.
Current law stipulates that buses, taxis, and trains cannot refuse passengers without justifiable reasons. However, the nation temporarily allowed the drivers to reject passengers who are not wearing masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The country reported no new virus-linked death, keeping the death toll at 269. So far, Korea has cured 10,295 patients, showing the recovery rate of higher than 90 percent.