<Anchor> What is

worrisome is that the holiday continues from this weekend to the temporary holiday on the 17th and next Monday, and it is not easy to keep social distancing because it is the holiday season. Authorities believe the current situation in the metropolitan area is worse than in May when the virus spread through the Itaewon Club and Coupang Distribution Center. At that time, I even knew where it started, but now, there are confirmed cases who do not know the route of infection.

This is reporter Kim Hyung-rae.

<Reporter>

In the group infection that started at the Itaewon Club in Seoul in May, a total of 277 confirmed cases came out.

152 people came from the Coupang Distribution Center.

Although the number of confirmed cases was large, the location and route of infection were relatively clear.

Also, as the fact of the group infection became known, many people voluntarily undergone examinations, but the situation in the metropolitan area is different recently.

Small-scale confirmations of around 10 people are occurring everywhere, and above all, asymptomatic patients who do not know that the outbreak has occurred are causing additional infections before confirmation.

There are various places of infection, including schools, churches, campgrounds, markets, and restaurants.

[Kwon Jun-wook/President of the National Institute of Health: Seoul and other metropolitan areas are in an instant. Because, not a chain spread due to a single source of infection, the recent pattern is asymptomatic, quiet transmission of mild infection (because it is occurring.)] In the last

two weeks, the rate of not knowing the infection route has soared to 13.4%.

It is far above the 5% level of social distancing.

As this quiet preaching, coupled with large gatherings and holiday seasons this weekend, the authorities are deepening their distress.

Health officials have said that if the situation worsens, the social distancing stage has to be raised to the second stage.

In the second stage of social distancing, indoor gatherings of 50 or more people will be banned again, and business of high-risk facilities such as karaoke will be stopped.

(Video coverage: Park Dong-ryul·Kim Min-cheol, Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu)