S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 9th day

▲ Inbound passengers from China, Hong Kong and Macao wait to take COVID-19 tests at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Feb. 9, 2023. (Yonhap)

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 9th day

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 20,000 for the ninth consecutive day Friday amid a downward trend in new infections.

The country reported 13,504 new cases, including 38 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,325,483, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The Friday tally is down from 14,961 the previous week and from 14,664 the previous day.

The country added 17 COVID-19 deaths Friday, bringing the death toll to 33,697, the KDCA said.

The number of critically ill patients came to 287, down from 293 the previous day.

As new cases subsided, South Korea lifted the mask mandate for indoor spaces, except at hospitals, pharmacies and public transportation, on Jan. 30.

On Saturday, South Korea will resume issuing short-term visas for travelers as China's COVID-19 infection wave has peaked and begun to subside, Kim Seong-ho, an interior ministry official, said during a government meeting.

On Jan. 2, South Korea tightened curbs on travelers from China amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in the neighboring nation, halting the issuance of short-term visas from its diplomatic missions in China and requiring arrivals from China to undergo a coronavirus test before and after their arrival.

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