Anchor: Daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea were the lowest in a month as authorities eased social distancing for the next two weeks. The decision was made considering the gradual decline in the daily increase and the socioeconomic impact of strict quarantine.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said as of 12:00 a.m. Monday, 109 additional people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the country's accumulated total to 22-thousand-285.

The daily increase has stayed in the 100 range for the 12th consecutive day, and the latest tally is the lowest since 103 cases were reported on August 14.

Out of 98 local infections, which remained below 100 for the second straight day, 81 were in the Seoul metropolitan area.

As of Sunday afternoon, 29 people in connection to Severance Hospital in western Seoul have caught the virus, as well as 38 linked to a mountain-climbing club in the capital region.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo urged the public to continue adhering to strict quarantine to protect the health and safety of everyone. He said key quarantine rules remain in place under eased Level Two distancing, to continue efforts to curb the virus' further spread while reducing the socioeconomic damage.

In announcing the eased measures for the next two weeks on Sunday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the government will prepare a much stronger quarantine guideline for the upcoming Chuseok holiday starting in late September.

Stressing that the holiday season will be critical in determining the direction of the epidemic, Chung urged people to delay visiting hometowns and other travel plans.

Meanwhile, the Seoul city government further extended a measure currently in place, banning rallies of ten people or more across the city, until next month in line with the central government's COVID-19 quarantine efforts.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.