As of Saturday, at least 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19 are linked to a cluster outbreak related to a number of clubs in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood, raising concerns of a possible nationwide spike in cases.

In a regular briefing held Saturday, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip confirmed that 17 of 18 new infections reported yesterday are local transmissions associated with a COVID-19 patient from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province who visited the Itaewon clubs.

He said 20 cases have been confirmed so far in the cluster outbreak.

Kim said related cases have been reported not only in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, but also in other regions and central and local authorities are jointly setting up emergency response teams to conduct epidemiological surveys.

The vice minister said infections can occur anywhere including schools, academies and religious and sports facilities and asked citizens and all establishments to stay vigilant and thoroughly abide by daily life distancing guidelines.

He said acts of discrimination and exclusion hinder the community spirit and discourage people from exposing their infections, thereby obstructing quarantine efforts.

He urged people to stop leaking the personal information of confirmed patients or spreading groundless rumors through social media.