[ad_1]
SEOUL: South Korea eased its tough social distancing policy on Sunday (Sept. 13) for the next two weeks in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, with daily new cases of novel coronavirus hovering stubbornly in the triple digits.
The government has lifted the ban on eating at the venue after 9 p.m., though it still requires restaurants and cafes to restrict seating and record customers’ names and contact details.
While leisure facilities like gyms and internet cafes may also reopen, under so-called phase two restrictions, indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people and outdoor gatherings are limited to 100, while spectators are prohibited from participating. at sporting events.
A man wakes up amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at a Han River park in Seoul, South Korea, on September 10, 2020. (REUTERS / Kim Hong-Ji)
Health officials said the easing would help reopen the economy, before reverting to stricter guidelines for two weeks starting Sept. 28 during the Chuseok holiday.
“After a comprehensive review of the recent situation and expert opinion, the government intends to adjust social distancing to phase two in the Seoul area for two weeks,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a speech. televised meeting of government officials.
Infection figures steadily fell to a low of 100 after the government imposed unprecedented social distancing restrictions in late August, but spiked last week as small clusters emerged.
READ: Comment: South Korea had COVID-19 under control. And then August passed
READ: Defiant South Korean churches face backlash for hampering COVID-19 response
“The number of daily infections is not yet falling into double digits and it is not yet a situation where the measures can significantly relax, as one in four people cannot trace the route of transmission,” Chung said.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 121 new cases of infection with the new coronavirus as of midnight Saturday, bringing the total infections to 22,176, with 358 deaths.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
