A new cluster infection broke out at a face mask company based in Seoul, the Seoul metropolitan government said Tuesday, raising concerns over a possibly bigger outbreak here.

As of Tuesday, 14 infections were linked to a health product business in the southeastern Seoul ward of Gangnam that distributes and exports face masks, according to the city government.

A company staff member first tested positive on Wednesday last week, and 10 more cases were reported until Sunday. On Monday, three additional cases were identified.

A total of 52 people, including the staff and contacts of the patients, took virus tests, and among them, 13 tested positive while 15 tested negative for the virus. Others were waiting for their test results.

The city government attributed the mass transmission to the workers, who were suspected of not wearing their face masks properly and of eating together in an office without sufficient ventilation.

Apart from the cluster infection at the face mask company, infections connected to religious facilities continued in Seoul.

A total of 10 infections, including cases involving a pastor and three church members, were connected to an outbreak at a protestant church in Songpa Ward, next to Gangnam, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The church was shut down after its members were found to have gathered at the church for worship services on Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 despite a government order banning on-site worship since Aug. 19.

The city government urged all religious facilities to stick to online events and refrain from having meetings.

The country added 106 more COVID-19 cases, including 91 local infections, raising the total caseload to 22,391, according to the KDCA. (Yonhap)