코로나19 신규 확진 103명...사회적 거리두기 2단계 검토<br /><br />Our top story this lunchtime...<br />South Korea reported 103 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.<br />It's the first time the daily figure has exceeded the one-hundred mark since March, excluding one day three weeks ago,.. when imported cases surged due to the arrival of a chartered flight of South Korean construction workers from Iraq.<br />Local health authorities are on high alert.<br />The government is considering raising social distancing measures to 'Level 2' from the current 'Level 1' in Seoul and its surrounding areas.<br />Let's connect to our Choi Jeong-yoon who is on the line for us.<br />Jeong-yoon, give us more details about this concerning uptick in cases...<br />Mark, South Korea is seeing more and more small cluster infections, some with uncertain transmission routes, and they appear to be popping up across the country, not just in certain places.<br />But today's number, one-hundred-three new COVID-19 cases is a record high not seen in four and a half months.<br />Health authorities are also on high alert as 85 of the new cases were local transmissions.<br />Seventy-two came from the central region,...with Seoul seeing 32 cases alone, the highest in 5 months.<br />Most were linked to small gatherings in churches, schools, door-to-door sales and markets across the country.<br />Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said this morning that the government is considering raising social distancing measures one notch to 'Level 2' in the capital region.<br />That would mean going back to more closures of entertainment facilities and bans on large gatherings.<br />A three-day holiday weekend is about to start, and that means more people out and about... and potentially a further surge.<br />What kind of measures are health authorities and city governments taking in that regard?<br />Yes, Mark.<br />With the National Liberation Day on Saturday and the temporary holiday on Monday, many people are expected to be on the move.<br />The Seoul city government has handed down an administrative order banning assemblies scheduled for Saturday that would've seen some 220-thousand people come together.<br />Health authorities have advised churches to refrain from eating or chanting together, and asked for churchgoers to keep a safe distance apart and wear face masks.<br />They emphasized personal quarantine especially in central regions,... asking people to cancel unnecessary meetings and avoid going into confined and busy places such as bars and restaurants.<br />That's all I have for now. Back to you Mark.<br />
