South Korea is raising social distancing in Seoul to its highest level, banning gatherings of three or more people after 6pm and ordering nighttime entertainment businesses to close, as the capital is at the center of a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The nation is moving social distancing regulations to the level of 4 for Seoul, where the majority of new cases have emerged, with sporadic outbreaks at restaurants, bars and shopping malls.
The latest surge is a setback for a nation that has been lauded as a model for containing the pandemic without imposing a lockdown.
Photo: Reuters
The measures to be imposed for Seoul would be the strictest since the South Korean government restricted businesses in Daegu after an outbreak at a mega church early last year, which led to the nation’s first major surge in cases.
The measures are to take effect on Monday next week and last for two weeks, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said in a televised address.
Seoul has posted record numbers of cases in the past two days after the nation eased social distancing regulations, which have since been rescinded.
After a slow start amid a supply shortage, South Korea has stepped up vaccinations and has inoculated about 30 percent of the population with at least one dose.
About 11 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated.
South Korea yesterday reported 1,316 new cases, a record high.
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