S. KOREA REPORTS 1,278 CASES

[Anchor Lead]

Korea reported 1,278 coronavirus cases for Monday. Daily cases have been above one thousand for nearly two weeks now. Infections are now spreading outside of the greater Seoul area.

[Pkg]

A national park office in Danyang, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. On Saturday one staff member tested positive for COVID-19. So far, 20 cases among family members and colleagues have been confirmed. A campsite and a shelter managed by the office have been partially closed.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyung-tae(Korea National Park Service) : "We have been ordered to shut down our campsite, office and shelter, where our workers live and work."

Another outbreak occurred at an ice hockey center in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, with 28 athletes having tested positive so far.

[Soundbite] Park Yu-mi(Seoul Metropolitan Government) : "An epidemiological investigation has revealed that the athletes spent a long time together having meals, training and using a sauna."

Korea reported more than 1,200 new cases as of Monday. Daily cases have been hovering above one thousand for two weeks now. Local daily cases averaged 1,300 last week, surging nearly 36 percent from the week before. Delta variant cases account for nearly 34 percent, up 10.6 percent from the previous week. COVID-19 cases outside the greater Seoul area have surged from 27.5 percent on Saturday to 32.9 percent on Monday.

[Soundbite] Jeong Eun-kyeong(KDCA Director) : "Gatherings in non-capital areas are limited to four people to prevent the virus from spreading to other regions."

The government’s social distancing measures seem to be the only way to keep coronavirus outbreaks under control.