South Korea sees uptick in coronavirus cases as second wave arrives early

Name: South Korea battling a ‘second wave’ of coronavirus infections, Seoul health officials say
Uploaded: 2020-06-23T05:14:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Description: South Korea battling a ‘second wave’ of coronavirus infections, Seoul health officials say

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Students stand in a line to have their temperatures checked before entering their classrooms at a school in Chungju, South Korea. Photo: AP

Agence France-Presse

Published: 1:14pm, 23 Jun 2020Updated: 3:39pm, 23 Jun 2020

South Korea reported 46 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday after health authorities declared the country was battling a second wave of infections that had been circulating for weeks.

The South endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China but appears to have brought it broadly under control thanks to an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown.

Social distancing rules were relaxed after a public holiday in early May and the country has since been returning largely to normal.

But in the last month the South has seen around 35 to 50 cases a day, mostly in the Seoul metropolitan area where half of the population lives.

“We believe the second wave has been running since it was triggered by the May holiday,” said Jung Eun-kyeong, director of Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We originally predicted that the second wave would emerge in fall or winter,” Jung said. “Our forecast turned out to be wrong. As long as people have close contact with others, we believe that infections will continue.”

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South Korea battling a ‘second wave’ of coronavirus infections, Seoul health officials say