South Korea prepares for more restrictions in capital

People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus ride an escalator as they arrive at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 323 new cases of the coronavirus, marking its 16th consecutive day of triple-digit daily jumps, as health officials prepare to tighten social distancing restrictions in the greater capital area.

The numbers released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Saturday brought the national caseload to 19,400. Fatalities reached 321 after the country added five more deaths overnights.

The KCDC said 249 of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the country’s 51 million people live, where health workers have struggled to track infections linked to various places, including churches, restaurants, schools and apartment buildings.

The country has added 4,630 cases over the 16 days, raising fears about possible shortages in hospital capacities.

For eight days starting Sunday, the country will allow restaurants to provide only food deliveries and takeout meals after 9 p.m., franchised coffee shops like Starbucks to provide only takeout drinks and food and to shut down gyms and after-school academies to slow the viral spread.