S. Korea ‘battling 2nd wave’ of coronavirus after outbreaks around capital – officials

South Korean health authorities have said for the first time that the country is in the midst of a “second wave” of novel coronavirus infections around Seoul, driven by small but persistent outbreaks stemming from a holiday in May.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) previously said South Korea’s first wave had never really ended. On Monday, KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said it had become clear that a holiday weekend in early May marked the beginning of a new wave of infections focused in the densely populated greater Seoul area. It had previously seen few cases.

At the end of February, the country reported a peak of more than 900 cases in a day, in the first large outbreak of the coronavirus outside of China. South Korea has reported a total of 12,438 cases, with 280 deaths, according to Reuters.

An intensive tracking and testing campaign reduced the numbers to single digits by late April. As the country announced it would be easing social distancing guidelines in early May, new cases spiked.