S. Korea relaxes some social distancing rules as new virus cases fall

South Korean Christians practice social distancing while attending a drive-in worship service following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Seoul, South Korea, April 5, 2020. /Reuters

South Korea extended its social distancing policy for another 16 days on Sunday but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures, as it reported just eight new coronavirus infections, the lowest in two months.

The slightly relaxed guidelines mean high-risk facilities like churches will no longer have to close, while sports matches such as soccer can resume without an audience.

"It is safest to maintain the intensive social distancing, but it isn't easy realistically. We need to find a middle ground," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a televised meeting of government officials.

"If we can maintain a stable management at the current level, we will shift to 'routine social distancing' from May 6," Chung said.

Health authorities have said this would allow a reopening of the economy, while maintaining guidelines on disinfection and preventing the spread of the virus in people's daily lives.

It was the first time since February 18 that South Korea reported a single digit daily rise in new infections. The figure brings its total cases to 10,661.

Of the new cases, five were imported from overseas, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

Two more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 234. The total fatality rate came in at 2.19 percent.

A woman walks past a queue of voters wearing masks, in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while waiting to cast their ballots at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea, April 15, 2020. /Reuters

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 559,000 people, among whom 536,205 tested negative for the virus and 12,243 were being checked.

South Korea has largely managed to bring the outbreak under control and has recently been reporting daily new cases hovering around 20.

Health authorities called the trend good news, but issued a note of caution about overly optimistic predictions.

"We are continuously on the alert to ensure we haven't missed any new infections, or whether the epidemic could be spread by asymptomatic or mildly infected patients," KCDC chief Jeong Eun-kyeong told a briefing.

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday said South Korea's progress gave hope that the COVID-19 is "surmountable" in other parts of the world. Earlier this year, South Korea had Asia's largest number of infections outside China. It has since been overtaken by other countries.

"The government will prepare for new daily lives and the new world order 'post-COVID' with the unified power of the citizens," Moon said.

President of the United States Donald Trump spoke to Moon on Saturday and expressed appreciation for South Korea's help in procuring COVID-19 tests for the United States.

(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)