Paradise Inc, one of the South Korean operators operating foreign-only casinos in the country, said on Thursday it was "not yet considering" closing its operations in the face of a surge in coronavirus infections in GGRA Asia.

As of Friday morning, South Korean authorities recorded more than 256 new cases of the novel coronavirus that day, taking the country's total number of infections to more than 2,000, Yonhap reported. South Korea currently has the world's second-highest number of confirmed cases. It has recorded 13 deaths so far from COVID-19, the disease caused by the newly categorized virus first discovered by doctors in Hubei province in mainland China.

More than 50 countries are currently restricting the entry of travelers from South Korea, whose quarantine procedures have been banned or tightened due to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to data from South Korea's foreign ministry.

Most of the new cases announced on Friday were in Daegu, 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Seoul, and nearby North Gyeongsang Province.

Paradise Co.'s gaming operations are Walkerhill (pictured) in Seoul, Jeju Grand in Jeju Island, Busan Casino in the southern port city of Busan, and Paradise City in Incheon, near the main international airport serving the Korean capital of Seoul.

On Friday, Kangwon Land, the only company in the country that is allowed to operate casinos for Korean citizens, said it is extending the closure of its game center at Kangwon Land Resort in Gangwon Province, 150 kilometers by road from Seoul, until March 9.

Kangwon Land, which does not operate 24-hour games, originally announced a temporary closure from noon on Feb. 23 to 6 a.m. on Feb. 26 but extended its initial closure until 6 a.m. on Feb. 29. The closure was described as a precautionary measure related to the outbreak of COVID-19 infections in the country.

However, Kangwon Land Corp., which is listed on the Korea Exchange but is under significant supervision by the South Korean government, did not clarify in an update on Friday whether it was ordered to close by state authorities or voluntarily shut down.

"As the government has issued the highest level of alert, all casino guests entering Paradise Casino must wear masks," a Paradise company spokesperson said in the company's response to GGRAsia on Thursday