[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] As of 9 PM on the 23rd, the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide reached the 20,000 range.
According to Seoul Metropolitan Government and other local governments, from midnight to 9 PM on this day, 28,601 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is 334 more than the previous day's count at the same time (28,267), showing a similar level.
This is 13,301 fewer than a week ago on the 16th (41,902 cases) and 11,570 fewer than two weeks ago on the 9th (40,171 cases).
Since there is still time until midnight when the count closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced on the 24th is expected to increase further, reaching around 30,000.
New confirmed cases were 15,400 (53.8%) in the Seoul metropolitan area and 13,201 (46.2%) in non-metropolitan areas.
By region, the numbers are: Gyeonggi 7,979, Seoul 5,651, Incheon 1,770, Gyeongnam 1,768, Gyeongbuk 1,644, Chungnam 1,614, Daegu 1,430, Chungbuk 981, Jeonbuk 951, Jeonnam 890, Gangwon 870, Daejeon 815, Gwangju 740, Busan 554, Ulsan 462, Jeju 251, and Sejong 231.
From the 17th to this day, the daily new confirmed cases for one week were 43,442 → 34,745 → 19,390 → 47,901 → 41,276 → 30,009 → 29,108, with a daily average of 35,553.
As the epidemic trend steadily decreases, the government announced at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on this day that the outdoor mask-wearing mandate will be completely lifted starting from the 26th. Accordingly, there will be no mask-wearing obligation at gatherings of 50 or more people, sports stadiums, and concert halls.
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