Seoul, Jan. 14 (BNA): South Korea will slightly ease restrictions on collection of the coronavirus from next week but continues to impose a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and entertainment venues, as it prepares for a possible increase in infections from the infectious omicron variant. .
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said Friday that the maximum social gathering of four people among fully vaccinated people will be raised to six for at least three weeks starting Monday, according to the Associated Press.
While officials have acknowledged frustration and fatigue with the prolonged virus restrictions and damage to small businesses, they say they cannot loosen social distancing rules any further when the country faces a huge wave of cases in the coming weeks as the omicron continues to spread.
About 12% of infections in South Korea reported last week were omicron and officials say they could become dominant in the country within a week or two.
Kwon raised his fears that the spread of the virus would accelerate by the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of this month, when millions of people will travel across the country to meet their relatives.
Kwon appealed to people to stay at home from Jan. 29 to Feb. 29. Two holidays and especially not visiting elderly relatives who have not been fully vaccinated.
Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the country could see a jump in daily infections to levels of around 30,000 by the end of February if it greatly eases social distancing.
South Korea on Friday reported 4,542 new cases, including 409 linked to international arrivals.
The daily number exceeded 7,000 several times last month during a delta-driven increase that caused hospitalizations and deaths to soar, but transmission has slowed in recent weeks as officials enforced strict social distancing.
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