S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to 7,000s

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported 7,561 new COVID-19 cases Thursday due to fewer tests a day earlier.

The figure is a drop of 4,730 from the previous day as fewer tests were conducted on the March 1 Independence Movement Day.

Compared with last week, the daily tally fell by 23,282. It is also the lowest daily count for any Thursday since June 23, 2022, when the figure came to 7,491.

The country added 15 deaths, bringing the death toll to 34,003. The number of critically ill patients stood at 129. The total caseload came to 30,533,573.

Amid a downward trend in infections, schools in South Korea started their first spring semester without the indoor mask mandate Thursday.

Students also will no longer be required to have their temperature taken before entry, and schools are allowed to remove partitions in cafeterias.

The previous day, South Korea lifted the post-arrival PCR testing requirement for Chinese arrivals, considering that infections are stabilizing there.

Still, the pre-arrival test requirement will remain in place until March 10 to monitor the effect of the eased restrictions.

fairydust@yna.co.kr
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