South Korea reports zero new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time

As of April 30, South Korea reported no new domestic cases of the novel coronavirus, the trend it witnessed for the first time since the pandemic outbreak in February, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement. With over 10,765 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 247 deaths, the KCDC said that 4 new “imported” infections and only 1 death was registered in the latest. Of those, 9,059 have already recovered and have been discharged from the hospitals. As per KCDC statement, no local transmission occurred from a parliamentary election this month as the authorities claimed that the health safety protocols were "rigorously adhered".

According to KCDC's statement, the voters were asked to wear the protective face masks and medical gloves at the electoral site while casting the ballots. At least twenty-nine million voters were reported to have participated in South Korea’s parliamentary election on April 15, who did not assemble in large gatherings as in other electoral practices over the years. Further, as per media reports, no cases of the novel coronavirus were reported by the country related to the elections past the 14-day incubation period, and not a single individual showed symptoms, Yoon Tae-ho, director general for public health policy, said. 

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South Korea to witness relaxation

Speaking with the press earlier on April 29, Yoon said that the polling stations were disinfected by the authorities, and the citizens gathered to vote in accordance with the health safety measures, adhering to the social distancing norms with at least 1 metre (3.3 feet) distance. Further, a clinical expert panel concluded that the COVID-19 patients that reported they had a relapse of the virus were not "reactivated" or reinfected, but were false positives, according to reports. Committee’s head was reported as saying that due to the technical limits of PCR testing the false positives had been detected, which have been estimated to be around 292 in number at this time.  

According to reports, South Korea is considering to ease some restrictions and relax the social distancing measures in days to come, if the figures of infection are controlled. The ongoing holiday period, the Buddha's birthday and the Labour Day on May 1 and 5 might witness relaxation for the general public amid the ongoing pandemic. As per local media news reports, South Korea is expected to resume "everyday life quarantine", implying the normal routine of schools and everyday business operation soon.  

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