SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Sentiment among South Korean businesses over the economic situation worsened this month due to the COVID-19 resurgence here, central bank data showed Wednesday.

A man wearing a face mask walks past a store whose goods are on sale at the Myeongdong shopping area in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 8, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

The business sentiment index (BSI) declined 3 points over the month to 75 in December, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The reading below 100 indicates pessimists outnumbering optimists. It was based on a survey of 2,808 companies conducted between Dec. 14 and 21.

The index turned downward in three months as the COVID-19 resurged here since November. In the latest tally, the country reported 1,050 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 59,773.

The daily caseload stayed around 1,000 for the past weeks, hovering above 100 for 53 days since Nov. 8.

The BSI for manufacturers declined from 85 in November to 82 in December, and the figure for non-manufacturers retreated from 73 to 68.