Health official at COVID-19 testing station (Source: Yonhap)
South Korea's daily coronavirus cases reached their lowest level in three months this morning, October 18. This comes as social distancing restrictions are easing as the country prepares to move into the "living with COVID-19" scheme.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,050 new cases, including 1,030 local infections, raising the number of total cases to 343,445.
People waiting to take COVID-19 test in Seoul (Source: Yonhap)
Monday's count is the lowest daily number since July 7, when the country reported 1,211 additional virus cases at the onset of the fourth wave of the pandemic. The number of daily cases have stayed in the quadruple digits since then, with a record high of new 3,273 cases on September 25.
Eight more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 2,668.
Office workers commuting in Seoul (Source: Yonhap)
The sharp decline in the daily cases came as the authorities eased restrictions for private gatherings and allowed longer business hours for cafes, diners and other multi-use facilities, ahead of the planned policy shift aimed at returning to normal life while treating COVID-19 like a seasonal infectious disease, such as influenza.
Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul reported 352 new cases, with surrounding Gyeonggi Province adding 358 cases, and Incheon, west of Seoul, 84 cases.
This article was paraphrased from: Yonhap
