S. KOREA REPORTS 1275 CASES

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea has reported a record number of coronavirus cases. The government is considering raising COVID restrictions to the highest level if the outbreak is not contained soon.

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Korea has reported 1275 new coronavirus cases in a single day. As of midnight July 8, 1227 domestic and 48 imported cases were recorded in the nation. That’s the highest figure recorded in a day since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The previous record was 1240 cases reported last Christmas during the peak of the third wave. More than 80 percent of infections are still concentrated in the greater Seoul area — with 546 cases in the capital city and 387 in Gyeonggi-do Province. The government has decided to extend the current coronavirus restrictions in the Seoul metropolitan area by another week. New virus prevention measures include testing at least one member in each household, refraining from mass events and dinner gatherings after work, working from home, and reducing mass transport operation after 10 p.m. If the outbreak is not contained soon and daily cases stay above one thousand, the government will consider raising restrictions in the greater Seoul area to the highest level.

[Soundbite] Lee Ki-il(Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures HQs) : "If the spread continues, the highest level of new restrictions will be enforced in the capital area."

Under Level 4 restrictions, private gatherings after 6 p.m. are limited to two persons, bars and clubs must be closed, all rallies and events are banned, and only relatives would be permitted at weddings and funerals. Starting from Thursday, businesses and facilities that violate virus prevention rules even once will be ordered to close for ten days. The number of people who have received the first vaccine dose grew by 35,000 on Wednesday to bring the total number to 15.4 million Just over 10 percent of the country's entire population, a little over 5.5 million people, have been fully inoculated.