New virus cases stay below 1,000 amid tightened restrictions

The public health authorities Monday confirmed the nation’s first cases of a more transmissible and potent variant from three people who returned from the United Kingdom.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the Korean nationals who came from Britain last week were confirmed to have the new Covid-19 strain. British analysis suggests the new strain may be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the old variant. The new variant is thought to have first occurred in London in mid-September.

Separately, an elderly Korean man who recently returned from Britain has posthumously tested positive for Covid-19, with three of his family members confirmed to have contracted Covid-19.

A thorough investigation is going on to look into whether they were also infected with the new variant.

The government earlier announced that it would suspend flights arriving from Britain until the end of this year.

Korea reported new virus cases under 1,000 for the second day on Monday as the nation conducted fewer tests over the Christmas holidays.

KCDA confirmed 808 new Covid-19 patients, including 787 local infections. The cumulative caseload rose to 56,148 as of midnight Sunday. Imported cases dropped down to 21 from 24 reported in the previous day.

Eleven more patients died of coronavirus, pushing the accumulated death toll to 819. The fatality rate in the country climbed to 1.42 percent.

Although the number of newly infected people temporarily decreased over the weekend, the government stayed alerted as it decided to extend the current Level 2.5 distancing measures in Seoul and its vicinity and the Level 2 restrictions for the rest of the country until Jan. 3.

Afterward, health officials will decide whether to move on to Level 3, the highest in its five-tier scheme.

Instead of applying measures that would deal a heavy blow to millions of small merchants, the authorities have deployed "targeted" virus curbs.

Since last Wednesday, the greater Seoul area has banned gatherings of five or more people. Restaurants in the greater Seoul area face a fine if they allow gatherings of more than four people. The strongest-ever measures have been applied nationwide since last Thursday as well.

Ski resorts and famous tourism venues were shut down to slow the virus's spread during the Christmas and New Year's holiday season.

The average daily local infections detected between Dec. 22 and 28 reached 984, threatening to exceed 1,000 for a week despite the tightened distancing scheme. The Covid-19 virus is spreading widely throughout the nation as it continues to expand infections in nursing hospitals, daycare centers, and a prison building in southwestern Seoul.

During the daily Covid-19 briefing Monday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said that about 25 percent of local infections were caused by family members over the past month.

Chung pointed out that the virus attacked mainly people in their 40s and 50s who work outside at first and spread to their family members.

“About 44 percent of confirmed patients under 20s were infected by secondary transmission at their homes,” Chung said. “We have to prevent infection at the workplace, social activities, and even homes to curb the infection chain.”

An additional 228 patients fully recovered and returned to their everyday lives, increasing the total to 39,268. However, 17,593 Covid-19 patients are still under quarantine receiving treatment. The country has tested 4,038,307 people since Jan. 3.

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