South Korea detects new COVID-19 cluster

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea on Friday detected a cluster of new coronavirus cases, prompting authorities to issue warning against an increase in new virus cases, local media reported.

The new cluster was detected two days after the government allowed normalization of public facilities and other business establishments under the condition that they follow basic sanitation measures.

At least 13 people tested positive for the virus after a COVID-19 patient had visited clubs and bars in Itaewon neighborhood of capital Seoul over the last weekend, according to Yonhap news agency.

Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the patient's contacts include three foreign nationals and one army officer, who have tested positive for the coronavirus, so far.

The COVID-19 patient, 29, visited five clubs and bars in Itaewon on Friday night to the early hours of Saturday last week.

"It is highly likely that there are more cases down the road," South Korea’s Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip said during a news briefing on Friday, since the number of people attending night clubs was high.

The health officials said the country had reported 12 more coronavirus cases on Thursday, most of them were imported.

South Korea has a total of 10,822 coronavirus cases, while 256 people have died so far due to the infection. 1,118 of the total cases are imported, 90% of them are South Korean nationals.

The country has conducted 654,863 tests to determine the COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s Muslim population today held congregational Friday prayers.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency from Daejeon, Dr Ahsan Ullah, a prayer leader, said the community followed government advisory while holding the congregational prayers.

“We maintained distance, used sanitizers and also registered our names before entering mosques to keep record,” he said.