Third wave. Defeat Seoul under siege by COVID

South Korean authorities have presented tough new measures to combat the pandemic, which will be in effect from December 24 to January 3.

South Korea records a record number of COVID-19 coronavirus infection cases. Authorities announced the start of the third wave of the pandemic and imposed severe restrictions on the time of winter holidays. Among the new rules is to meet in groups of no more than five people. Correspondent.net says the details.

Third level of fighting

In South Korea, on December 22, a record number of coronavirus cases was detected: 1,092 infected per day. The total number of cases in the country has reached 52,550, and in the last two weeks alone, the number of cases has increased by 13,130 people. By then, about 800 people had died.

As of December 23, there are 15,085 patients with active coronavirus in the country, 284 of them are in serious or critical condition.

In this regard, there is growing concern about the shortage of intensive care beds. According to the head of the South Korean government, Jong Se Kyung, authorities have so far provided some 8,000 of the 10,000 additional hospital beds planned for patients with coronavirus infection.

The virus is predominantly spreading in the densely populated metropolitan area, and health professionals are struggling to keep track of the outbreaks that are occurring almost everywhere, the AP notes.

South Korea has been considered a model for successfully fighting the pandemic after it managed to contain a sharp increase in infections in the spring without imposing quarantine restrictions. This is detailed in the article How South Korea Suppressed the Epidemic.

The fact that the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays are being celebrated for the first time by South Korean citizens in extreme conditions, the country’s Prime Minister warned at an interagency meeting to combat the pandemic on December 22.

“We intend to defeat the third wave with measures stronger than the Level 3 social distancing measures,” Jung Se Kyun announced.

Therefore, he admitted that the threat to impose the most severe measures, which South Korean President Moon Jae In warned about a week ago, is becoming increasingly real.

From Thursday, December 24 to January 3, authorities banned the gathering of groups of more than five people and closed popular tourist attractions, as well as ski resorts and other winter sports facilities.

Visiting nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals that became hotbeds of the epidemic during the first wave of the pandemic are prohibited.

Tighter social distancing measures will be implemented in restaurants, and in department stores and supermarkets, which will continue to operate during Christmas sales, shoppers will have temperature measurements and a ban on tasting beverages and food.

Another Asian country, Japan, which was also considered one of the winners of the first wave of the pandemic, imposed severe restrictions in early December.

The situation in this country began to deteriorate in early November due to the absence of restrictions on doing business.

New Years events involving the imperial family were canceled. The traditional New Years Eve of the Imperial Family of Japan is usually celebrated on January 2. Last year, the celebration was attended by some 70,000 people.

Meanwhile, hospital executives on Japanese television complain about understaffing and diminishing ICU beds. More on this in the material There is even in the mask.

News of Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel https://t.me/korrespondentnet