(2nd LD) New virus cases hover around 50 for 3rd day amid strict social distancing

(ATTN: UPDATES with reports of administrative order from Seoul to temporarily shut down large private facilities, more information in paras 9-10)

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases hovered around 50 for the third straight day Wednesday, but the nation marked the grim milestone of 200 virus deaths.

Health authorities renewed calls for people to maintain social distancing to curb the spread of the virus, as cluster infections at churches and hospitals, as well as new cases coming from overseas, are still rising steadily.

The 53 new cases, detected Tuesday and up from 47 new cases a day ago, brought the nation's total number of infections to 10,384, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The nation's death toll from the coronavirus, which emerged in China late last year, rose by eight to 200. About 80 people recovered from the virus Tuesday, raising the total number of cured people to 6,776.

South Korea has recorded around 100 or fewer daily new cases for more than three weeks.

Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip described this week's daily number of new infections as a "positive" sign, but warned that lax attitudes toward social distancing could put the nation at risk of cluster infections.

"Social distancing is the only vaccine," Kim told reporters.

Stricter containment measures will be put in place at "high-risk" facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes and cram schools, Kim said.

The move follows reports that a female worker at an adult entertainment establishment in Seoul had kept working even after showing symptoms, possibly exposing hundreds to the potentially deadly virus.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said the city government has made an administrative order for such facilities to suspend their business at least until April 19, noting there were some 420 private facilities, including clubs and karaoke bars, in Seoul that were still doing business.

Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the nation's two worst-affected regions, reported nine and three new cases, respectively, the KCDC said. The total number of cases reported in Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province reached 6,803 and 1,320, respectively.

Other major provinces and cities also reported infections, with Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province adding 11 and six new cases, respectively.

The country also detected 14 new cases coming from overseas at border checkpoints, raising the country's total number of imported cases to 832.

Seeking to reduce the daily number of new infections to below 50, South Korea has extended strict guidelines on social distancing by two weeks to April 19. South Korea has tested 486,003 people so far.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said South Korea will temporarily halt visa-free entry and visa waiver programs with countries imposing entry bans on Koreans, as it tries to stem imported cases of the new coronavirus.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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