(LEAD) S. Korea reports 25 new virus cases, total at 11,190

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SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported 25 more cases of the new coronavirus Sunday as health officials are trying to bring mass infections tied to Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon under control.

The 25 new cases raised South Korea's total caseload to 11,190, while its death toll remained unchanged at 266, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.

Eight of the new cases came from overseas, and 17 are local infections, the statement said.

The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 10,213, up 19 from a day earlier. And 711 people are under quarantine for now, the statement said.

New coronavirus cases stayed below 30 for the third consecutive day Sunday, but the health authorities remain on high alert as the COVID-19 pandemic still continues to spread across the country ahead of an expanded school reopening.

The KCDC sees the next two weeks will be a significant watershed to determine whether the coronavirus outbreak slows down or not as the government plans to push ahead with another round of school reopenings this week despite worries over possible virus transmissions at schools.

High school seniors returned to school last week.

Itaewon has recently emerged as a hotbed for infections since a 29-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 on May 6 following his visits to multiple clubs and bars in the neighborhood. More than 200 infections here have been traced to multiple nightspots there.

To avoid a second wave of infections, South Korea has been carrying out tens of thousands of tests on those who visited affected clubs between April 24 and May 6.

As of Sunday, the coronavirus, which first emerged in China late last year, has killed more than 340,000 people around the world and infected more than 5.3 million in just a few months, data from Johns Hopkins University showed.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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