S. KOREA REPORTS 1,584 NEW CASES

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea reported 1,584 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, staying in the one thousand range for the fifth straight day. The outbreak appears to be finally letting up after one month. The government stresses October is the last opportunity to assess the odds of returning to normal life.

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​A COVID-19 test center at Yongsan Station in Seoul. On the heels of a holiday weekend, people line up to get tested.

[Soundbite] Kim So-hee(Yongsan-gu Dist.) : "I traveled over the weekend and was told to get tested before coming to work. I’ll report to work tomorrow if I test negative."

With fewer testing over the weekend, daily cases have stayed in the 1,000s for the fifth straight day. Average daily infections last week came to 1,961, down by more than 500 from the previous week. The virus reproduction rate, which refers to the number of infections caused by a single patient, also dipped below one last week. The drop comes after four weeks of continued rise.

[Soundbite] Park Hyang(Central Disasters Management HQs) : "The letup in the outbreak is believed to be due to the effects of expanded vaccinations."

However, the government remains cautious saying the caseload can rise again due to increased movement during the holidays. It said the current situation is very precarious and represents the last opportunity to make a shift toward normal life.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "If the spread stabilizes, return to normality can come sooner, slightly relieving the pain of small business owners and the self-employed."

Ahead of a shift in the quarantine scheme, the government will announce on Friday social distancing measures to be applied for the last time under current rules. It is considering further eased guidelines for fully vaccinated people.