47 Imported COVID-19 Cases... Highest Since Late March (Update)

An arriving passenger is receiving guidance from an official at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] On the 16th, the number of newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was recorded at 61. Among them, 14 cases were from domestic community transmission, and 47 were suspected to be imported from overseas. This is the first time in three days since the 13th that the daily new confirmed cases have exceeded the level of 50, which is the standard for social distancing level 1.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, 18 new imported cases were confirmed in Gyeonggi Province alone. Including 3 community transmission cases, a total of 21 new confirmed cases were identified. There were also 20 cases detected during quarantine. The health authorities believe that the number of imported cases has increased due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 worldwide recently.

The number of imported cases has consistently been in double digits daily for the past three weeks since March 26. The 47 newly confirmed cases on this day are the highest in about four months since late March, when many returning students and expatriates were arriving in Korea. Among them, 35 cases were imported from Asian countries other than China, and 12 cases were from the Americas. There were 28 Korean nationals and 19 foreigners.

By region, 7 new cases were confirmed in Seoul in one day. Among them, 6 were community transmission cases and 1 was imported. In Incheon and Gangwon, 3 cases each were newly confirmed, and 2 new cases were confirmed in Daegu. One new case each was reported in Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Chungbuk, and Gyeongnam. On the previous day, 48 patients were released from isolation, and 2 died, resulting in a slight increase in the total number of patients currently in isolation to 925.