Health officials call on public to refrain from visiting indoor sports facilities

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korean health officials on Saturday called on people to refrain from visiting indoor sports facilities to curb the spread of new coronavirus infections.

"Sports activities indoors and hard physical exercise tend to cause the spray of saliva droplets and have trouble physical distancing," the Central Disease Control Headquarters said, explaining the cause of the recent massive community infections in indoor facilities, saunas and nursing homes.

In particular, workers at social welfare organizations and medical institutions should not participate in private gatherings after work or at weekend, the agency said.

Citing a nursing home in Gongju, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, where a total of 25 confirmed cases was reported from Monday to Saturday, the cluster infections there broke out after a nursing home worker was infected at a private gathering, the agency said.

In recent days, a spate of community infections was reported at a sauna in southern Seoul with 76 confirmed cases and an aerobics center in western Seoul with 155 confirmed cases.

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea exceeded 500 for the third straight day Saturday, putting health officials under pressure to boost the five-tier social distancing level from the current level 2.

ksnam@yna.co.kr
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