South Korea defends reopening of schools despite new surge in Covid-19 cases

South Korea on Wednesday reported 49 new cases of Covid-19, continuing a weeks-long resurgence of the virus as the government defended its decision to reopen schools despite health risks.

Despite the spike in transmissions, the government has been pushing ahead with a phased reopening of schools, which began with high-school seniors on May 20.

The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the national totals to 11,590 cases and 273 deaths.

All but one of the new cases were reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where hundreds of infections have been linked to entertainment venues, church gatherings and a massive e-commerce warehouse.