Asia Today: South Korea's daily virus cases at another low

South Korea’s daily coronavirus increase was the lowest in about 50 days as new infections trend lower

Virus Outbreak South Korea Daily Life (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

South Korea’s daily coronavirus increase was the lowest in about 50 days Tuesday as new infections trend lower.

Many experts have warned, however, that the virus could spread again after this week’s traditional Chuseok autumn holidays, when people usually travel to visit their relatives. Health authorities have urged people to refrain from traveling this year because of the risk of spreading the virus.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the 38 cases added in the last 24 hours took the country’s total to 23,699 with 407 deaths.

South Korea had seen a viral resurgence, mostly in the densely populated Seoul area since early last month. But its caseload has recently begun slowing after authorities enforced stringent social distancing rules. The anti-disease agency says 17 of the new cases were reported in the Seoul area.

In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region:

— The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus passed 1 million, nine months into a crisis that has devastated the economy, tested world leaders’ resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. The bleak milestone recorded by Johns Hopkins University is almost certainly a vast undercount because of testing and counting issues, and the number continues to grow, with about 5,000 deaths reported daily.