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Seoul reports 256 new virus cases, total tops 2,000

TOKYO, Feb 28 (KUNA) -- South Korea reported 256 new cases of the coronavirus Friday, bringing the total number of infections here to 2,022, while health authorities renewed calls for citizens to increase social distancing and avoid mass gatherings, Yonhap News Agency reported.
So far, 13 people have died in South Korea from the virus that emerged in China.
"The most important thing to prevent COVID-19 from spreading nationwide is that people must stay indoors for the time being and minimizing human-to-human contacts," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip was quoted as saying in a press briefing in Seoul.
"In particular, people need to refrain from attending religious gatherings or rallies over the weekend," Kim added.
More than half of newly confirmed cases are linked to a branch of a religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu.
Of the 256 new cases, 182 are in Daegu, 300 km southeast of Seoul, and 49 are in the neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Experts said the number of confirmed cases is expected to jump in the coming days as health authorities have begun testing more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in other provinces.
Since the first outbreak on January 20 in South Korea, the pace of infections had not been alarming until February 18, when a 61-year-old woman who is tied to the Daegu religious sect tested positive for the virus.
Other major provinces and cities have also reported some infections, with Seoul's accumulated cases rising to 62.
In another worrisome development, the cumulative number of virus patients in Busan -- South Korea's second-largest city with 3.5 million people -- rose to 63, with 32 patients linked to a Christian church in the city. (end) mk.gta