South Korea is confronting a rise in coronavirus cases after it eased restrictions.

Dire situation in India is most acute in capital

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea reported 386 new cases of the coronavirus, a resurgence that could force authorities to reimpose stronger social distancing restrictions after easing them in October to spur a faltering economy.

The figures released Saturday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency raised the country’s total number of confirmed cases to 30,403, including 503 deaths.

More than 270 of the new cases come from the Seoul metropolitan area, where health workers have struggled to track transmissions in schools, private tutoring academies and religious facilities.

Infections were also reported in other major cities, including Busan, Daejeon, Gwangju and Asan.

South Korea has so far managed to weather the pandemic without major lockdowns, relying instead on an aggressive test-and-quarantine campaign and mask-wearing.

Officials eased distancing measures to the lowest level in October, which allowed high-risk venues such as nightclubs and karaoke bars to reopen and fans to return to professional sports.

But the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases said Friday that the country could be reporting more than 1,000 new infections a day in a week or two if social distancing measures aren’t effectively strengthened.

“COVID-19 transmissions are occurring in large numbers simultaneously across the country, and in some regions, the pace of infections has already overwhelmed local capacities for contact tracing,” the doctors’ group said.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

■ Japan is scaling back on the government-backed “GoTo” campaign to encourage travel and dining out, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached a record for the third day straight Saturday, at 2,418. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the decision at a government panel on coronavirus pandemic measures.

■ India reported 46,232 new cases, with the situation particularly alarming in New Delhi. Intensive care units and the capital’s main crematorium are near capacity, and this week, health officials found that the prevalence of infections in markets is much higher than expected.

■ China is starting mass testing on 3 million people in a section of the northern city of Tianjin and has tested 4,015 others in a hospital in Shanghai after the discovery of a pair of cases there.

The National Health Commission recorded seven new domestically transmitted cases Saturday, including five in Tianjin and two in Shanghai. On Friday, Tianjin reported community transmission involving four individuals and another case.

In response, local authorities sealed off the residential community where the people lived as well as a hospital and a kindergarten.

Ahn Young-joon The Associated Press Masked fans cheer during Game 4 of the Korea Baseball Organization’s championship round Saturday between the Doosan Bears and NC Dinos in Seoul. South Korea has relied on a test-and-quarantine campaign and mask-wearing over lockdowns.