South Korea has said it will develop smarter social distancing guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus nationwide, as it involves a new outbreak spread from Seoul.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 315 new household infections as of midnight on Friday, the latest in a series of three-digit increases in such cases.
South Korea used advanced contact tracing and widespread testing to contain its first outbreak of Covid-19, but Asia’s fourth largest economy has experienced persistent outbreaks in recent weeks, mostly in and around the densely populated capital and its environs.
The latest figures take the number of the country to 17,002 cases, with 309 dead.
In Seoul and some surrounding cities, the government has reintroduced measures to redistribute social distances, including restricting large gatherings, banning personal church meetings, and closing nightclubs, karaoke bars, buffets, and cybercafes.
The same guidelines will be applied in other areas of the country from Sunday. However, in some areas with fewer infections, the guidelines are recommended rather than mandatory.
On Saturday, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said: “If we do not limit the spread [of the virus] in the early stages this will grow as a large scale. For us, there is nothing more important than focusing on responding to Covid-19. ”
Health authorities have categorized social distance rules into three stages – stage 1 is the least strict and stage 3 the most, where schools and businesses are encouraged to close.
Kwon Jun-wook, the KCDC’s Deputy Director, said: ‘If we improve the social distancing guidelines to the third stage, then it is essential that they take a toll on the daily lives of people and the economy. We urge you to take the situation seriously. ”
Kwon said South Korea had supplied the antiviral drug inhibitor to treat 143 patients at 35 hospitals, but access to the drug was irregular due to liver problems.
In June, South Korea asked drugmaker Gilead Sciences to supply enough inhibitor drug to treat more than 5,000 Covid-19 patients in preparation for a possible second wave of infections.
The Ministry of Health said it postponed its decision to pursue policies that stimulate the number of medical students until the coronavirus situation stabilizes.
Thousands of South Korean doctors have staged strikes and protests over the government’s plans to recruit new doctors, saying there are enough doctors but better conditions and systems are needed to allocate them properly.
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