JINJU -- The number of coronavirus cases linked to a bathhouse in the southeastern city of Jinju increased to 92 Friday, as local authorities scrambled to curb the spread from the latest cluster of infections.

The local government announced 80 new cases traced to the sauna facility in a residential area, confirmed over a period of about 24 hours since Thursday afternoon.

The total caseload reached 97 since some patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were found Wednesday to have visited there during the past week.

The city government of Jinju, 430 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Thursday ordered the establishment to suspend operations for two weeks and has been testing hundreds of its users and their families and contacts.

The municipality later issued the same order to all 98 bathhouses in the city, effective as of Saturday.

The local government decided to raise the level of social distancing rules from the current 1.5 to 2, effective for two weeks from Saturday, further limiting gatherings and restricting operations of communal facilities. (Yonhap)