The local spread of Covid-19 slowed down on Monday, which was offset by the rebound in imported infections to keep the new virus cases in the 30-person range.

Although newly confirmed cases fell from 40-50 in the previous several days, health authorities are on high alert as the number can increase at any time, given the unrelenting cluster infections tied to various community gatherings in Seoul and the surrounding area.

Korea reported 34 new Covid-19 cases -- 21 local infections and 13 foreign arrivals -- raising the cumulative total to 12,155 as of midnight Monday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. Thirty more people recovered, pushing the number of cured patients to 10,760, with 1,117 people receiving treatment.

One more person died, increasing the death toll to 278. The nation has tested 1,119,767 suspected patients since Jan. 3.

All but four of the locally transmitted cases occurred in Seoul, the western port city of Incheon and surrounding Gyeonggi Province, home to half of the nation’s population of 50 million.

Korea has almost brought the spread of the coronavirus under control. Still, a recent series of cluster infections linked to religious gatherings and door-to-door sales events have led to sporadic outbreaks in the greater Seoul area. The nation was also close to wrapping up the Covid-19 battle in early May, but the somewhat hasty easing of restrictions rekindled the spark, starting from a nightlife district in Seoul and spreading to a logistics warehouse, fitness clubs, and daycare centers.

Particularly vexing the health officials were the rise of silent spreaders with no or mild symptoms and “patients in the dark” – people whose infection routes are not traceable – who account for more than 10 percent of new virus cases.

While the public health authorities were struggling to contain infections in the Seoul metro region, imported cases also rose back.

The 13 new arrivals reported on Tuesday was the third case of double-digit rise for this month. Nine were newly confirmed cases during the quarantine process at airports, with the remaining four testing positive during self-quarantine after arriving in Korea.

Imported cases have been on a steady rise to a total of 100 during the first half of June.

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