<Anchor> The number of



new confirmed cases exceeded 1,400 for the first time since the outbreak of Corona 19 in Korea as a result of the provisional counting at 9 pm on the 13th. What is particularly worrisome is that the number of confirmed cases is increasing in the non-metropolitan area as well as the metropolitan area.



First, reporter Jang Se-man.



<Reporter>



Cases of transmission from the metropolitan area were confirmed one after another in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do.



An employee of a company in Gyeonggi-do came down to Yeosu before being diagnosed with the virus and contacted 9 people, of which 8 were confirmed.



The number of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area, which soared to 994 last week, fell to 700 for two days in a row.



On the other hand, the proportion of non-metropolitan areas has risen for the fifth consecutive day and is close to 30%.



[Kim Hee-gyeom / Head of Disaster Safety Management Division, Ministry of Public Administration and Security: Non-metropolitan areas are also very concerned. Please actively implement preemptive quarantine measures such as strengthening testing for



symptomatic patients

.]

Infection patterns in the metropolitan area may be reproduced in non-metropolitan areas.



First of all, the rate of propagation between groups is very fast.



In the case where restaurants in Mapo-gu, Seoul and English language schools in the metropolitan area were linked, group infections occurred in up to nine places as the confirmed people gathered and scattered in narrow and poorly ventilated pubs and lecture rooms.



Among those in their 20s and 40s in the metropolitan area, there were many infections of the same age group.



As a result, socializing with colleagues, friends, and acquaintances is leading to the spread of infection.



[Lee Sang-won / Head of Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Division, Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters: This infection pattern was mainly spread through contact and gatherings between acquaintances and colleagues, and one epidemic re-spreaded to another (suggesting a trend)]



Quarantine authorities is planning to announce regional distancing steps and regulations on private gatherings in non-metropolitan areas, and it is highly likely that the steps in non-metropolitan areas will be upgraded following step 4 in the metropolitan area.