신규확진 441명…대구-경북 대유행 후 첫 400명대 급증 '초비상'<br /><br />Our top story this afternoon.<br />The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has soared to more than 400... marking the highest daily number in nearly six months.<br />The National Assembly has also temporarily closed after a reporter tested positive for the virus.<br />Kim Yeon-seung starts us off.<br />South Korea reported 441 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 18-thousand-706.<br />Thursday's 441 new cases marks the highest daily number since March 7, when the country reported 483 cases.<br />Of the new cases, 434 were local transmissions and only 7 were imported cases.<br />There was one more death, raising the death toll to 313.<br />The number of new cases has been on the rise again this week after briefly dropping below 300 on Monday and Tuesday.<br />The country has now seen 14 days in a row of new cases in the triple digits.<br />Many of the cases reported at the start of the current outbreak were linked to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul and an anti-government rally led by the church's chief pastor on August 15th.<br />The virus has also put the nation's lawmakers under the threat of infection.<br />The National Assembly temporarily closed down on Thursday,... after a reporter covering the ruling party tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day.<br />The main building, members' office and press office buildings have all been closed.<br />All nine committee meetings set for Thursday have also been postponed.<br />Meanwhile, the southwestern city of Gwangju, which had successfully contained its first outbreak last month, is now seeing an uptick in new cases.<br />At least 39 cases have been reported from a church in the city.<br />Infections have also popped up at a table tennis club, office buildings, and daycare centers in Gwangju.<br />South Korean authorities see this week as the last chance to bring the virus back under control.<br />If the situation fails to improve, the government could raise the social distancing level to level three, the highest in the three-tier system.<br />Under level three, South Korea would basically go into a collective shutdown, with gatherings of more than 10 people being prohibited.<br />Kim Yeon-seung, Arirang News.<br />
