South Korea has reported 12 new cases of the coronavirus and one more death, bringing its totals to 11,122 cases and 124 deaths.
The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said 10 of the new cases came from Seoul and nearby Incheon, where health workers have been scrambling to track and test potential virus carriers following dozens of infections linked to nightspots.
South Korea was reporting around 500 new cases a day in early March but managed to stabilise infections with an active test-and-quarantine program, which has allowed the country to avoid real lockdowns.
Officials have been relaxing social distancing guidelines and proceeding with phased reopening of schools, which began with high school seniors on Wednesday.