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Welcome to Arirang News.

This is Chung Myung Jin.

And we start with our top headlines at this hour.

1.

The health authorities in South Korea are concerned about a surge in cases of COVID-19 over the past week.

There have been more than 300 for each of the last five days, so the government is considering stronger social distancing measures.

On Sunday, South Korea reported 3-hundred-30 new cases of COVID-19,... and for the first time,... the number was over 3-hundred for a fifth straight day.

Most were in the greater capital area with 219 in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do Province and Incheon.

The surge is due to small cluster infections across the country at schools, hospitals and small gatherings -- which are especially hard for the health authorities to monitor.

New cases are averaging one-hundred-88 per day in the capital area and 15 in Gangwon-do Province.

Both regions are on social distancing level 1-point-5, but the average is getting closer to 200, which would trigger level two.

The average of new cases nationwide for the past week is 2-hundred-73,... which is getting closer to the level-two threshold of 3-hundred.

Other areas, such as Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do Province and Hadong-gun in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, have already raised their levels to two, but the spread is not slowing down.

If social distancing is raised to level two,... some high-risk facilities including clubs and bars will be closed.

Cafes will only offer take out and delivery,... and the same for restaurants after 9 PM.

2.

In the United States, the FDA has granted emergency authorization for use of the experimental antibody treatment Regeneron,...

to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.

Regeneron is the drug given to President Trump when he was infected.

It will be made available to patients 12 and older, including senior citizens.

Meanwhile, the CDC says the virus is now being spread by people who develop no symptoms... in 24 percent of cases.

And in one third of cases, the virus is transmitted before symptoms appear.

The agency underlined the importance of wearing masks,... saying even cloth masks can prevent people from inhaling droplets carrying the virus.

The US is seeing a rapid surge in new cases -- the total now surpassing 12 million.

That's another million cases in less than a week.

There were nearly 200 thousand reported on Friday,... which is the highest for a single day so far.

3.

President Moon Jae-in emphasized the importance of maintaining essential travel to overcome the economic crises posed by the COVID-19 pandemic during the virtual G20 summit on Saturday.

During the first session of the G20 Summit on Saturday,... President Moon Jae-in reiterated the importance of facilitating travel for essential people to ensure a swift recovery of the global economy.

Moon explained that South Korea was able to post positive growth in the third quarter,... highlighting that it maintained trade and investment by keeping its borders open... and that it implemented expansionary fiscal policies.

The G20 is expected to include Moon's proposal in a joint statement.

4.

The number of eco-friendly cars being driven in South Korea for the first time now accounts for more than three percent of the total.

According to the government's official tally,... there are more than 7-hundred-60 thousand of them, including electric and hydrogen cars, registered as of the end of last month.

Under its Green New Deal policy, the South Korean government is spending billions of dollars to make electric cars cheaper and more convenient to use.

Moving to weather forecast,

The temperature will drop by more than 10 degrees tonight, and it will be below zero degrees Celsius tomorrow.

Cold wave advisory has been issued for Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, and inland areas of Gyeongsangbuk-do provinces.

Tomorrow morning temperatures will drop to minus 2 degrees Celsius in Seoul, minus 4 degrees in Cheongju, and 9 degrees in Jeju, recording the lowest temperatures this fall.

The current temperatures are:

_______ degrees in Seoul

_______ degrees in Daegu

_______ degrees in Busan

And _______ degrees on Jejudo Island

You’re listening to Arirang Radio.