S. Korea reports 63 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, cluster infections outside Seoul

`코로나19` 신규 확진 63명 …수도권•광주•대구 등 전국 확산While the number of daily new COVID-19 cases has been on a steady rise recently here in South Korea,... the figure soared to above 60 on Friday.Cluster infections are continuing in major cities.Health authorities warn the scale of the outbreak could be bigger in the fall.Arirang's Eum Ji-young reports.South Korea continues to see surges in COVID-19 infections...reporting 63 new cases on Friday.Of which, 52 were local transmissions.Concerns linger due to spikes in cases in regions outside of the greater Seoul area including the southeastern city of Daegu and southwestern city of Gwangju.Once considered a safe-haven from the virus, Gwangju is now on high alert.The city reported six new cases on Friday and, according to the Central Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters, a total of 57 transmissions are linked to small gatherings at Gwangreuk Buddhist temple.Calling the situation "rather unusual", South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun visited the city on Friday to speak at an emergency briefing."In order to stop the spread, it's crucial we have cooperation from all citizens. Please refrain from visiting high-risk facilities and actively follow virus prevention measures."Daegu is also on high alert as the city reported 13 new cases on Friday... 10 were local transmissions and three came from abroad. The 10 local cases were connected to a private acting school including nine of its students.The number of confirmed cases is expected to increase, too, as quarantine authorities are conducting tests on at least one-thousand-five-hundred students and teachers at the four schools the confirmed students attend.The head of Central Disease Control Headquarters Jeong Eun-kyung at a radio interview on Friday warned that the spread of the virus could worsen this fall ...and in order to prepare, further support from the government and cooperation from citizens is needed.Eum Ji-young Arirang News.