DAILY CASES SURPASS 2,000 AGAIN

[Anchor Lead]

Daily COVID-19 cases have again topped 2,000. The surge in the capital region continues on. With people’s movement expected to sharply increase from Friday for the Chuseok holiday, health authorities are asking citizens to get vaccinated before their travels and get tested after returning home.

[Pkg]

A university hospital in Incheon where some wards are under cohort isolation ever since the first case was reported last weekend. Four more infections confirmed in a day raising the outbreak to 30. At a senior care facility in Seoul, 17 people tested positive including workers and residents. Three out of four new domestic cases are still concentrated in the wider capital area. The weekly infection rate per 100-thousand people stands at 5 for Seoul and the surrounding areas, the highest since the start of the pandemic and more than 3 times higher than the rest of the country. The virus reproduction rate which refers to the number of infections caused by a single patient has again exceeded one. Some quarantine measures such as those that apply to family gatherings are slightly being eased from Friday for the Chuseok holiday. The government asked people to get vaccinated before leaving for their hometowns and get tested after returning home. Infection risk is heightened with more contacts expected during gatherings, so citizens are asked to visit their homes at different hours in order to minimize the number of people gathered at one time.

[Soundbite] Sohn Young-rae(Central Disasters Management HQs) : "We ask those who are tested or fully vaccinated visit hometowns in small numbers."

Extra precautions are needed at traditional markets, retail markets and department stores where there are large turnouts of crowds preparing for the holiday.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "Quarantine inspections should take place at locations reporting large volumes of contact and movement ahead of the holiday."

South Korea's daily virus tally exceeded 2,000 again as of Wednesday midnight, with 2,080 new COVID-19 cases reported.