SEOUL, Dec. 16 (BNA): South Korea will ban private social gatherings of five or more people across the country and force restaurants to close at 9 p.m., implementing the country’s toughest coronavirus restrictions yet as hospitals grapple with the pandemic’s deadliest month. The Associated Press (Associated Press) reported.
Prime Minister Kim Bo-kyeom said Thursday that the new measures will be in place for at least 16 days after they came into effect on Saturday, saying there was an urgent need to put the country at a “stalemate” with the delta-driven surge of exhausted medical workers.
Schools in the densely populated capital Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas, where the virus has been hit hard, will also return to distance learning after fully reopening in November.
The Korea Agency for Disease Control and Prevention reported 7,622 new cases on Thursday, close to the daily record of 7,850 cases the day before. That brings the number of national cases to 544,117, with nearly 97,000 cases added in December alone.
Most transmissions have been in the metropolitan area, where officials say more than 86% of intensive care units designated to treat COVID-19 are already occupied amid a spike in hospitalizations and deaths.
More than 890 patients with the virus have died this month, bringing the country’s death toll to 4,518. As of Thursday morning, there were 989 patients in serious or critical condition, a record.
“During this period of stalemate, the government will further stabilize our medical response capabilities,” Kim, No. 2 in Seoul after President Moon Jae-in, said during a virus meeting. “We are asking our staff to respond to these efforts by actively vaccinating.”
The viral surge was a major setback for President Moon Jae-in’s government, which dramatically relaxed social distancing rules in November while declaring a gradual return to pre-epidemic normalcy.
While focusing on improving the economy, officials predicted that the country’s increasing vaccination rates would lead to fewer hospitalizations and deaths. But there has been a rise in serious cases among people in their 60s or older, including those whose immunity waned after being vaccinated early in the vaccine launch that began in February.
More than 81% of the population of more than 51 million people have been fully vaccinated, but only 17% of people have received booster injections.
After hesitating for weeks, officials moderately tightened social distancing rules last week, banning gatherings of seven or more people in the Seoul metropolitan area and requiring adults to check their vaccination status for use of restaurants and other businesses, but such measures have not measurably slowed the spread of the virus.
The KDCA commissioner Jong Un-kyeong said the country could see the number of daily infections cross 10,000 or 20,000 in the coming weeks if it fails to significantly slow transmission now.
That would bring the number of serious cases to between 1,600 and 1,900, she said, possibly beyond what hospitals can handle without sacrificing their non-COVID-19 care.
“We are seeing an average of 4,700 new cases in the Seoul metropolitan area, which is well above the maximum level of 3,600 that the hospital system can manage,” Jong said during a briefing.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said the limit on gatherings of four will only apply to fully vaccinated adults.
Kwon said those who are not fully vaccinated will be asked to eat alone in restaurants.
The rules will not apply to children 18 years of age or younger. Restaurants, cafes, gyms and karaoke venues will have to close at 9pm, while cinemas, concert halls and private schools will have to close at 10pm.
AOQ