South Korea reports 205 coronavirus cases, above 200 for first time since September

South Korea reported 205 new coronavirus cases as of Friday midnight, rising above 200 for the first time since September, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Saturday.

Of the new cases, 166 were domestically transmitted and 39 imported. More than 65% of the locally transmitted cases were from Seoul and Gyeonggi province, a densely populated region near the capital.

South Korea began fining people who fail to wear masks in public on Friday as it reported 191 new coronavirus cases, with daily infections continuing to creep higher.

People caught without masks in public venues, including nightclubs, malls, theme parks and hair salons, face fines of up to 100,000 won ($89.75), while the operators of those places could pay up to 3 million won in fines.

Four South Korean soccer players and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19, Yonhap reported on Saturday, citing the Korea Football Association, adding that all five do not currently show any symptoms.

The latest daily tally was slightly up from 191 a day before, taking the country's total number of infections to 28,338 with 492 deaths, according to the KDCA.

The government is in final talks with global drugmakers over potential COVID-19 vaccines as it seeks to secure supplies to cover 60% of its population this year.