South Korea COVID-19 new cases fall below 10,000 in 3 days

SEOUL, Mar 18 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell below 10,000 for the third straight day on Saturday, ahead of the lifting of mask mandates on public transport.

The country reported 9,259 new COVID-19 infections, including 16 from abroad, bringing the total number of cases to 30,690,223, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA). Stated.

The latest count is up slightly from 9,065 the day before and down 750 from 10,009 a week ago.

KDCA reported four deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 34,159. The number of severely ill patients decreased by 11 from the previous day to 129.

On Monday, less than two months after removing mask requirements in most indoor places, with the exception of public transport, hospitals, and a few other high-risk areas, the government announced that masks on public transport are compulsory. We plan to release the obligation.

Masks will continue to be mandatory in health care facilities, pharmacies and other places where infection is likely to occur. Pharmacies located in open public spaces such as discount stores and train stations are exempt from the requirement.