<Anchor> The



concern has become a reality. Following the highest number of new corona19 confirmed yesterday (24th), today is expected to exceed 3,000 for the first time. There is a forecast that it could reach up to 3,300 people, but quarantine authorities expect the number of confirmed cases to increase even more next week.



By Son Hyeong-an, staff reporter.



<Reporter> As of



9pm last night, the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide is 2,924.



490 more than the 2,434 the previous day, the highest number of confirmed cases, was already confirmed during the interim count.



If you add up the figures reported between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, when the counting is officially closed, the number of new confirmed cases announced by the quarantine authorities today is expected to exceed 3,000 for the first time ever.



The metropolitan area is by far the worst.



As of 9 o'clock last night, 76.1% of the number of new confirmed cases, 2,224 people, occurred in the metropolitan area, and 700 people in non-metropolitan areas tested positive for COVID-19.



In terms of provinces and provinces, as of 9:00 p.m., Seoul had 1,223 people, and this is also the first time that more than 1,000 confirmed cases have occurred in Seoul since the Corona 19 incident.



Subsequently, 806 people in Gyeonggi, 195 in Incheon, and 116 in Daegu were newly confirmed.



The quarantine authorities believe that the 'balloon effect', which was feared due to the large-scale population movement during the holiday period and the influence of the delta mutation, which has strong transmission power, has begun to appear.



[Lee Ki-il/Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters 1st Controller: I think that the number of people who have been to the provinces will return and continue to be tested next week.] The



current social distancing measures will end on the 3rd of the next month. Accordingly, the government is expected to announce a new social distancing adjustment plan next week.



The position is to comprehensively review not only the number of confirmed cases, but also the severity and fatality rate.