Anchor: New COVID-19 cases in South Korea have spiked to the 700s yet again, stoking concerns of a fourth wave of the epidemic. Authorities said they would need to monitor the situation a few more days before deciding whether to raise social distancing levels.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said as of 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, 731 additional people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the nation's cumulative cases to 111-thousand-419.

Seven more people succumbed to the virus, bringing the death toll to one-thousand-782.

New cases climbed back to the 700s, jumping by nearly 200 from 542 on Tuesday. They hit 700 last Thursday and the latest tally is the highest since hitting 869 on January 7.

Out of the 731 new cases, 714 were local infections, with 509, or 71-point-three percent, of those reported in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Concerns are rising over a fourth wave of the epidemic, as the average number of daily local cases over the past week stood at 625-point-one, within the threshold for Level Two-point-Five social distancing.

Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official, said the government will further monitor the situation this week, before looking into raising the distancing levels and reinforcing restrictions on business operations.

Earlier, officials extended Level Two for the capital region and Level One-point-Five everywhere else for three additional weeks until May 2. They said adjustments may be considered if daily local cases rose to the 600s and 700s.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.