South Korea announced Friday 256 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the total number of infected to 2,022, the highest number of confirmed cases outside China.
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) tallied 13 fatalities.
Daegu, the epicenter of the outbreak accounts for 182 of the reported 256 cases followed by North Gyeongsang Province with 49 cases.
New cases were also reported in other areas including Seoul and Busan, KCDC said in a statement.
Health authorities have focused on curbing the spread of the epidemic in Daegu, where the religious sect linked to the sudden spike of infected cases is located and its neighboring province North Gyeongsang Province.
Around 24,751 people are under quarantine as the country adopts a massive testing scheme of suspected cases.
The country has tested a total of 68,918 suspected cases, with 44,167 testing negative.
READ MORE: UAE announces recovery of two coronavirus patients, confirms 6 new cases
