South Korean health officials Wednesday reported the nation's highest number of new coronavirus infections in seven weeks as the nation is easing its restrictions.
In his daily briefing in Seoul, South Korean Vice Health Minister Kim Kang-lip said that 37 of the 40 new cases are related to the recent outbreak from nightclubs in Itaewon, Seoul's multicultural district. Kim said the remaining three are infections from abroad.
All but four of the new cases were in densely populated areas in Seoul where officials are scrambling to stop transmissions linked to nightclubs, karaoke rooms and an e-commerce warehouse.
Kim said authorities are keeping an eye on the warehouse, owned by local e-commerce company Coupang, after discovering dozens of coronavirus infections linked to workers there. Kim says they suspect the company was not enforcing basic workplace COVID-19 regulations, and they are testing the company's 3,600 employees.
South Korea has reported 269 deaths and 11,265 cases, after managing to contain a severe outbreak earlier.
The spike comes as some two million students returned to school Wednesday.