SEOUL, Feb. 4 (BNA) South Korea on Friday extended its limits on indoor gatherings as health workers reported the fourth consecutive day of coronavirus cases, following the Lunar New Year holiday.
Announcing the decision at a government meeting, Prime Minister Kim Bo-kyeom declared the “ruthless” spread of the virus caused by the highly contagious omicron variant, even as he acknowledged the public’s fatigue from the pandemic restrictions.
The 27,443 new cases reported by the Korea Agency for Disease Control and Prevention were more than 4,500 record cases in the previous single day recorded Thursday, reflecting an acceleration in transmission after this weekend.
Amid the surge in the virus, health workers are struggling to keep up with the sudden increase in COVID-19 patients at home, including offering Pfizer’s Paxlovid pills for treatment, the AP reports.
Until at least February 20, officials will limit any private social gatherings among those who have been fully vaccinated to six, while asking those who are not vaccinated to eat alone in restaurants and cafes. It is forbidden to eat indoors in public places after 9 pm
Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test is also required to enter potentially crowded places such as restaurants, nightclubs, karaoke rooms and gyms.
Expanded use of rapid antigen test kits, which experts say may fail to detect the omicron variant, has raised concerns that infected people may also go out in public, after getting a false negative test.
Kim, the second official in Seoul after President Moon Jae-in, said South Korea may resume steps to restore pre-pandemic normal if it becomes clear that the hospital system can withstand the omicron-driven surge without strict social distancing rules, but he has not. t further define criteria for this decision.
As of Thursday, 257 virus patients were in serious or critical condition while less than 15% of intensive care units designated to treat COVID-19 were occupied.
The country has reported about 20 deaths per day in recent weeks, down from the 50 to 100 daily deaths it saw in December and early January when it was most exposed to the delta variant.
South Korea has shortened quarantine periods for fully vaccinated people who test positive and refocused its testing strategy around rapid testing, so that the most accurate lab tests are saved for priority groups, including people 60 and older.
But the viral surge has severely strained efforts to trace contacts of health workers.
As of Friday, more than 104,000 people with mild or moderate symptoms have been treated at home, Lee said.
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