<Anchor> The



momentum of COVID-19 that halted daily recovery is worse than the cold in December. There was a long line at the screening center even on the weekend of today (the 4th) amid anxiety. With 5,000 infections per day, the number of new confirmed cases was again the highest, and the number of deaths and serious cases was the highest.



The corona situation with the most unwelcome records is reported first by reporter Kim Min-jung.



<Reporter>



It is a screening clinic in Seoul this afternoon.



It was the weekend, but it was crowded with people trying to get tested for Corona.



Citizens who were expecting a step-by-step recovery of their daily life waited in line for the examination with a withered mind again.



[Park Tae-soon / Yangcheon-gu, Seoul: I was anxious at work, so I came to get a test in advance because I was afraid that several colleagues would be harmed.] As the



spread of Corona 19 continues, new confirmed cases, severe cases, and deaths are all at an all-time high. recorded.



The number of new confirmed cases was 5,352, which was 87 more than the previous record of 5,265 two days ago.



79% of new confirmed cases came from the metropolitan area.



The number of critically ill patients, which was around 700 for four days in a row, was 752, the most, and the nationwide intensive care bed utilization rate exceeded 80% for the first time.



In particular, the death toll more than doubled from the previous day to 70, the highest since the Corona 19 epidemic.



[Kwon Deok-cheol / Minister of Health and Welfare (Yesterday, regular briefing): The majority of seriously ill patients, about 85%, are the elderly.

About three-quarters of these are occurring through community infection.] According



to the special quarantine measures announced by the government yesterday, the number of allowed private gatherings will be reduced to 6 people in the metropolitan area and 8 people in the non-metropolitan area from the day after tomorrow.



In addition, the quarantine pass, which was applied only to some high-risk facilities, will be extended to the entire multi-use facility.



From February next year, teenagers from the first grade of middle school to the third of high school will also be eligible for the quarantine pass.



(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Yoon Tae-ho)