South Korea eyes semi-lockdown in Seoul as Covid-19 cases hit daily record

People wait in line for a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) test at a testing site, temporarily set up at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea

* South Korea reports highest-ever 1,275 new daily cases * Officials warn daily counts may double by end of July * Detection of Delta variant surges three-folds from week earlier South Korea reported on Thursday its biggest daily rise in new Covid-19 cases and a top health official warned the numbers may nearly double by the end of July, even as the country considers imposing a semi-lockdown in hard-hit Seoul. The 1,275 cases in the 24 hours to midnight on Wednesday, reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), exceeds the number of daily cases reported at the peak of the country's third wave in December. Around 80% of the 1,275 locally transmitted cases were recorded in the greater Seoul area, comprising the capital, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon city, KDCA data showed.