정부, 거리두기 연장 방침...수도권 2.5 단계 연장될 듯

South Korea is starting to see the number of new COVID-19 cases slow again, but health authorities are staying alert, doing what they can to prevent another surge.
The country reported 198 new COVID-19 cases today, including 189 local infections.
We have our Choi Won-jong on the line to explain further.
Won-jong, we hear the stricter social distancing measures in Seoul will remain in place for the time being....
Yes, we expect the South Korean government to extend its level 2-point-5 social distancing measures for the capital region for another week.
They were originally due to end this Sunday.
At a meeting Friday at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the measures in the Seoul metropolitan area are likely to stay in place a touch longer.
If that's the case, restaurants and bars in the capital must continue to close early and franchise coffee shops can only offer take-out or delivery services.
Level 2 guidelines are expected to be maintained for other regions of the country.
Won-jong, we appear to be seeing new cases nationwide trend down, but we are seeing more patients in a critical condition.
And, we are still seeing cluster infections in the Greater Seoul area and other regions....
Yeah, cases have been coming down.
South Korea saw new COVID-19 cases remain below 200 for the second day in a row on Friday.
However, the country remains on guard.
As you mentioned, the country reported 198 new COVID-19 cases today, all but nine being local infections.
The number of patients in critical condition came to 157, up three from the previous day and the highest number of critical cases since the start of the outbreak in late January.
Most of the cases are cluster infections from local churches.
Other sporadic cluster infections have also been confirmed in other parts of the country.
A kimchi factory in Cheongyang reported 19 infections on Friday.
Most importantly, since many people will be traveling around South Korea during the Chuseok holiday, the government's goal is to ensure that cases don't surge again as millions of people criss-cross the country to see their relatives or take a vacation.
That's all I have for you for now.
Back to you, Mark.