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SEOUL: South Koreans were urged to cancel the Christmas and New Years holidays on Friday (December 4) as daily cases of coronavirus hit a nine-month high and the government will impose stricter social distancing rules in Seoul to stop a third wave of infections.
Health authorities reported 629 new COVID-19 infections, the highest in South Korea since the first wave peaked in February and early March.
The Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency (KCDA) said on Friday that 600 of the newly confirmed patients were nationally transmitted cases, nearly 80 percent of them in the densely populated area of Seoul, which has been in the center. from a recent viral resurgence.
The new cases brought the country’s total to 36,332 from the pandemic, with 536 COVID-19-related deaths.
Seoul will require most stores to close at 9 p.m. every day, Seoul Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said at a briefing on Friday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The measure takes effect on Saturday and comes after Seoul reported 295 new coronavirus infections as of midnight Thursday.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun had previously said the situation was critical and that the government would decide on Sunday whether to update the restrictions to include the closure of karaoke bars and limits on religious gatherings to just 20 people.
“It’s been 10 days since we upgraded the social distancing rules to phase 2 in the Seoul metropolitan area, but the broadcast still seems unstoppable,” Chung said at a government meeting.
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KDCA said 463 or more of the last three-quarters of the last locally transmitted cases were from Seoul and nearby areas.
“This is the largest infection in the Seoul metropolitan area since the start of the coronavirus outbreak,” Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said at a briefing.
Health authorities asked people to cancel all year-end gatherings and parties during a one-month “special virus prevention period” from December 7 to January 3.
“Please hold online celebrations especially for Christmas, religious events, and New Year’s dawn festivals if possible, and we urge you not to host hotel parties or events,” Yoon said.
STUDENTS ON THE MOVE
Authorities are concerned that college entrance exams, which nearly half a million students took on Thursday, and entrance exams over the next two weeks could be another source of contagion.
At least 207,000 students will move across the country for university entrance tests this weekend and 192,000 next, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said at a briefing.
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“It is no exaggeration to say that South Korea’s security depends on the examinees,” Yoo said.
Karaoke bars and internet cafes are popular with high school students and have been the source of various COVID-19 clusters in the past.
Under current Phase 2 restrictions, karaoke bars and internet cafes can operate with limited seating and must close by 9 p.m. There are nearly 30,000 karaoke bars and more than 9,500 internet cafes and game rooms across the country.
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The tighter restrictions would be a blow to Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which posted a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.2 percent in October, the highest since July.
“Small business owners and the self-employed are the hardest hit by social distancing measures. We are very sorry,” said Yoon, an official with the Ministry of Health.
“We believe the best way is to reduce the number of confirmed cases as soon as possible and alleviate their anxiety. The government continues to discuss financial support for companies.”
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