S. KOREA REPORTS 1,365 NEW CASES

[Anchor Lead]

1365 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Korea for Monday. The outbreak is showing no signs of abating even though Level 3 restrictions have been enforced in all regions outside of the greater Seoul area. The summer vacation season and the spread of the Delta variant are making things worse.

[Pkg]

The KTX lobby of Seoul Station is crowded with passengers. They wear masks and check their temperatures. Despite the anxiety, they decided to embark on their trips after multiple delays.

[Soundbite] Choi Eun-joo(Gwangju resident) : "I’m going to visit my mother in Gangneung. She’s ill and I can’t visit her often. We’ll just stay home."

COVID-19 cases outside of the greater Seoul area now account for more than 40 percent of all cases reported in the nation. The weekly average of daily cases in non-capital regions stands at 499, up more than 100 from the week before. In the Seoul metropolitan area cases have been on the decline lately. The virus reproduction rate, which shows how many people each infected person can infect, is currently at 1.27 in non-capital regions. That's higher than the greater Seoul area.

[Soundbite] Kwon Jun-wook(Central Disease Control HQs) : "The rapid spread in the greater Seoul area has plateaued. However, cases are surging in large cities and tourist destinations in non-capital regions due to increased travel and the balloon effect."

The highly contagious Delta variant has become the dominant strain in Korea. In the fourth week of June only 3.3 percent of cases were the Delta variant. Last week they surged to 48 percent, and are expected to surpass half of all cases this week.

[Soundbite] Kwon Jun-wook(Central Disease Control HQs) : "The Delta variant has become the dominant strain. However, the situation with social distancing measures and vaccinations remains the same."

The government has tightened Covid-19 restrictions to Level 3 in all non-capital regions. But they could have little effect because of the increased travel during the summer vacation season and the rapid spread of the Delta variant.