Visitors wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus walk at a park in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, June 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
SEOUL — South Korea has reported 67 additional cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily jump in about three weeks amid an upward trend in new infections.
Figures released Saturday took the country’s total to 12,373 with 280 deaths. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 10,856 of them have recovered while 1,273 remain in treatment.
The agency said 31 of the new cases came from overseas while the rest were locally infected. This is the largest daily increase since 79 cases on May 28.
South Korea is struggling to contain a spike in fresh virus transmissions since early May, when it eased social distancing rules. Most of the new cases have been reported in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the country’s 51 million people reside.
The new cases have been linked to nightlife establishments, church services, a big e-commerce warehouse, and door-to-door sellers.