Anchor: The daily COVID-19 increase in South Korea remained in the 100-range for the seventh consecutive day, amid the second week of heightened social distancing in the capital region. Authorities are soon expected to decide whether to further extend the strict quarantine.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The Central Disease Control Headquarters said as of 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, 156 additional people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the country's accumulated total to 21-thousand-588.

One-hundred out of 144 local infections were in the Seoul metropolitan area, with the large cluster linked to Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul's Seongbuk district reporting one-thousand-167 infections as of noon Tuesday.

The daily increase, which peaked at 441 on August 27, has remained below 200 since last Thursday, leading Health Ministry officials to assess that the situation is on the path towards stabilization.

[Sound bite: Son Young-rae, Central Disaster Management Headquarters Official (Korean)]
"There are five days left until the extended enhanced social distancing in the Seoul metro area is set to end this weekend. The infection surge has slowed and is continuously declining to stabilize in the 100-range. Outside the capital region, the total daily increase remains below 50. This was made possible thanks to the public's active participation in the two-week social distancing and we are clearly seeing a positive outcome."

Health authorities will soon decide whether to further extend the metro area's enhanced distancing after it is set to end on Sunday, but said should the current trend continue, another extension wouldn't be necessary.

[Sound bite: Son Young-rae, Central Disaster Management Headquarters Official (Korean)]
"If everyone continues their quarantine efforts for the next five days until the weekend, we will be able to curb the COVID-19 spread and keep it stabilized, and we won't need to further extend distancing."
"If everyone remembers that the outcome of our efforts will emerge one to two weeks from now and continue a little more, I'm certain that we will be able to restore control of our quarantine system."

Authorities, however, continued to caution the public against visiting hometowns during the Chuseok holiday in early October.

Meanwhile, global statistics website Worldometer said as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Korea time, over 27-point-seven million people around the world were reported to have been infected with COVID-19, with the death toll surpassing 901-thousand.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.