Bangkok, Jun 2 (AP) Areas around the South Korean capital curbed large gatherings Tuesday and officials urged churchgoers and some health care workers to avoid crowds as the number of new coronavirus once again increased.

The densely populated Seoul metropolitan area had all but one of the 38 new cases of COVID-19 reported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Hundreds of recent cases have been linked to workplaces, including call centers and a massive warehouse operated by local e-commerce giant Coupang, which officials say failed to properly enforce preventive measures and distance between workers. At least two dozen cases have been linked to churches near Seoul.

Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, banned gatherings at some 4,200 churches and other religious facilities. Gyeonggi province, which surrounds the capital, issued an administrative order to shut down warehouses, funeral homes and wedding halls.

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Health Minister Park Neunghoo pleaded with churchgoers and employees of hospitals and nursing homes to avoid unnecessary gatherings to reduce infection risks for senior citizens and others who are medically vulnerable.

He also called for school officials to double-check their preventive measures as the country proceeds with a phased reopening of schools.

Nearly 1.8 million children — high school freshmen, middle-school juniors and third - and fourth-grade elementary school students — are expected to return to school on Wednesday.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region, Businesses in Singapore began reopening Tuesday, as part of a phased end to its virus lockdown.

Finance, electronics manufacturing and logistics are among sectors that resumed operations after a two-month closure with strict safety requirements.

Schools will also reopen in stages this month.

The loosening does not apply to most retail shops, personal services, dining in at restaurants and social gatherings.

The government says it will only lift further restrictions if infections remain low.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned Monday that dealing with COVID-19 will be “a marathon, not a sprint” and that things may not return to normal even after a vaccine has been found.

Authorities in Bangladesh have confirmed the first death of a Rohingya refugee from the coronavirus, as infections rise in sprawling camps where more than 1 million Rohingya Muslims have been living since fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar.

A government official said the 71-year-old refugee died Saturday and samples collected from him tested positive on Monday.

At least 29 Rohingya refugees have tested positive for the disease, the UN refugee agency said.

Aid agencies and government officials say the challenge of handling a wide outbreak of the virus in the densely populated camps could be huge.

Most Rohingya in the camps fled Myanmar after August 2017, when Myanmar's military launched clearance operations in response to attacks by a rebel group. Security forces have been accused of mass rapes, killings and the burning of thousands of homes.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)