The number of coronavirus infections in South Korea passed the 10,000 mark, health authorities said on Friday, with 86 new cases recorded since the previous day.
The total number of infections increased to 10,062 and the death toll rose by five to 174, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Seoul.
The numbers confirmed an encouraging stabilisation of numbers, which have hovered around the 100 mark for the past three weeks, a clear downward trend which began in March after numbers peaked at the end of February with over 900 cases recorded in a day.
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For a fourth straight day, more new cases, 34, were recorded from the capital city Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province than in what has so far been the outbreak epicentre in the country: North Gyeongsang Province and city of Daegu, 23.
“Imported” cases from patients recently returned from abroad also continued to increase, with 22 new infections bringing the total to 264.
In order to reduce the risk of infection from imported cases from abroad, all arrivals have been placed on a two-week quarantine since Wednesday.
dpa/NAN
