South Korean authorities said Tuesday they were using mobile phone data to trace Seoul nightclub visitors as they try to tackle a growing coronavirus cluster.
 

The country has been held up as a global model in how to curb the virus, but a spike of new cases, driven by the cluster in venues in Seoul's Itaewon district - including several gay clubs - forced authorities to delay this week's planned re-opening of schools.

As of Tuesday morning, 101 cases had been linked to the Itaewon cluster, Seoul mayor Park Won-soon told reporters.
 

The city secured a list of 10,905 people who visited the district through data provided by mobile operators and has sent text messages asking them to get tested, he added.

Many nightclub customers are believed to be reluctant to come forward because of the stigma surrounding homosexuality in the socially conservative country.
 

Officials in the east Asian nation of 52 million reported 27 new cases Monday, taking its total to 10,936, after recording only single-digit increases for eight of the preceding 13 days - many of them overseas arrivals.