South Korea’s new coronavirus cases bounce back after drop

A message of gratitude and support for health workers, frontline workers, and the country battling the new coronavirus is displayed on a building in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea’s new virus cases have bounced back to above 40, a day after it reported its smallest daily jump in local COVID-19 transmissions in two months.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it has reported 45 additional coronavirus cases over a 24-hour period. It says the additional figures brought the country’s total to 13,816 with 296 deaths.

The agency says 20 of the newly recorded cases were locally infected patients while the rest 25 were associated with international arrivals.

South Korea on Monday confirmed 26 new virus cases, four of them domestic infections and the rest 22 coming from overseas. Health officials said it was the first time for the number of daily local infections to come below 10 since May 19.

South Korean officials consider imported cases as a lesser threat than local transmissions because the country is mandating COVID-19 tests and enforcing two-week quarantines on all people arriving from abroad.