Asia Today: SKorea tracing cases before more students return

BANGKOK (AP) — South Korea has reported 19 new cases of the coronavirus, most from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where officials have been actively tracing transmissions linked to nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday also reported two more deaths, bringing national totals to 11,225 and 269 fatalities. Officials linked three of the new cases to international arrivals.

South Korea has been reporting around 20 new cases per day over the past two weeks after health workers found hundreds of infections linked to clubgoers who went out in early May as the country eased on social distancing.

The caseload has slowed from early March when it was reporting hundreds of new cases a day, but the new infections in the greater capital area has caused concern as authorities proceed with a phased reopening of schools, which began with high school seniors last week.

Around 2.4 million high school juniors, middle school seniors, first- and second-grade elementary school children and kindergartners will be returning to school on Wednesday.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a virus meeting urged school officials to double-check their preventive measures. He called for authorities to strengthen monitoring on some 390,000 undocumented foreign nationals who may have poor access to medical services and tests, but related measures weren’t immediately announced.

South Korea also Tuesday began requiring people to wear masks on public transit and while using taxis. People in South Korea, like in much of Asia, have generally worn masks in public settings and no major disruptions were reported.

Health authorities have left mask enforcement to bus drivers and subway station workers. Taxi drivers are...