<Anchor> The
number of new corona19 confirmed cases exceeding 600 for two days in a row came down to 500 in three days.
However, the spread of group infections continues in large-scale workplaces, and the trend has not stopped.
The government has undertaken intensive inspections on businesses and construction sites that are susceptible to infection.
The first news, this is reporter Kim Hyung-rae.
<Reporter>
Yesterday (18th), 561 new cases of Corona 19 occurred and fell below 600 in three days.
Among the new confirmed cases, 533 cases were domestic, excluding 28 foreign inflows.
By region, 396 people came out from metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon, and 137 people were confirmed in non-capital areas such as Gyeongbuk and Chungnam.
The number of deaths has increased to 1,550 so far, with 6 additional deaths.
In relation to the plastic factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, where a large-scale group infection occurred, mainly foreign workers, seven more were confirmed, and the cumulative confirmed number increased to 130.
The quarantine authorities are concerned that the number of confirmed cases is not decreasing as the infection continues in workplaces such as large hospitals and production facilities.
[Son Young-rae / Head of Social Strategy Division, Central Accident Control Center: The number of patients continues to increase as the number of tests increases after the Lunar New Year holidays.
There is a growing risk that the third epidemic of the coronavirus, which had been declining, will shift to the direction of spreading again.
The government has decided to conduct intensive inspections for two weeks on 1,000 sites in the manufacturing and construction industries where a number of subcontractor employees work, and to strengthen quarantine in areas concentrated with foreigners and manpower offices.