As Covid cases surge, Seoul city to expand contact tracing team

Seoul, Nov 18 : Amid surge in the numbers of Covid-19 cases, the Seoul city government said on Wednesday it will increase the number of contact tracing agents from 30 to 190.
By increasing their number, the city government said it will identify people who came into close contact with a COVID-19 patient and place them under quarantine within 24 hours of a confirmed infection, Yonhap news agency reported.
The measure comes as Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of the capital, are set to raise their social distancing scheme by one notch to Level 1.5 at midnight. The new level will be in place for two weeks.
Level 1.5 calls for stricter social distancing rules, including a ban on dancing or moving between tables at entertainment facilities, limiting capacity at karaoke bars to one person per 4 square meters and prohibiting eating there, and capping capacity at concerts, academic events and festivals to under 100.
The central government announced Tuesday that the greater Seoul area passed the threshold for Level 1.5 — more than 100 average daily cases in the previous week — and that the new level would take effect Thursday.
The Seoul city government reported 92 new cases in the capital on Tuesday, the biggest number since 101 on September 1.