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Workers remove a make-shift screening clinic in Incheon, Oct. 13. Yonhap

Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the fourth consecutive day Sunday as infections have been on a decline in recent weeks.

The country reported 21,469 new COVID-19 infections, including 87 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,120,465, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The country has seen a gradual downtrend in new infections after peaking at over 180,000 cases on Aug. 17.

In response to the downward trend, the government has eased antivirus restrictions, including lifting all outdoor mask mandates and the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing requirement for inbound travelers.

The country reported 32 deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 28,840. The number of critically ill patients came to 247, up two from a day earlier, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)