The Latest: S Korea sees drop in transmissions after jump

South Korean officials are expressing cautious hope that COVID-19 transmissions are beginning to slow, after battling the country’s worst wave of infections for weeks

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean officials are expressing cautious hope that COVID-19 transmissions are beginning to slow, after battling the country’s worst wave of infections for weeks. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Tuesday reported the country’s lowest daily jump in about two weeks at 1,372 cases. Officials have been enforcing the strongest social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in the capital of Seoul and other large population centers, including banning private social gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. A senior health ministry official pleaded for citizens to remain vigilant ahead of next month’s Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.