South Korea puts Seoul under strictest COVID restrictions amid new case records

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by Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) – From Monday, South Korea will for the first time tighten coronavirus restrictions to the maximum level possible in Seoul and neighboring regions, as alarm spreads with new COVID-19 cases hitting a daily record for the second consecutive time nationwide.

South Korea, which has so far outperformed many industrialized nations in both case numbers and deaths, reported 1,316 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Thursday, up from Wednesday’s previous record of 1,275.

Largely aided by vaccinations for the elderly, there is still a significant increase in hospitalizations or deaths, with a death rate of 1.23% and the number of severe cases at 148 as of Thursday remaining well below levels seen during the previous peak in late December.

But on Thursday, a senior health official warned that new case numbers could nearly double by the end of July and Prime Minister Kim Bo-kyeom announced two weeks of stricter restrictions – Level 4 being the most severe on a South Korean scale, except for a full lockdown. During a televised government meeting.

Experts said the government’s strategy on COVID-19 is to avoid the damage to the economy seen in complete lockdowns elsewhere.

“The government’s strategy is to stay away from the lockdown for fear of negative impact on the economy. Level four is the toughest you can get,” said Kim Dong-hyun, former president of the Korea Society of Epidemiology.

Under the new restrictions, people are being advised to stay home as much as possible, schools are advised to switch to distance learning, social gatherings are limited to two people after 6.00pm from 4pm earlier in the day, and gatherings are banned.

Spectators are not allowed to attend sports matches, while hotels can only operate at two-thirds of their full capacity. Movies and concerts are not allowed after 10pm, nightclubs and bars are closed, while restaurants and cafes are allowed with limited seating and take-out services are only allowed after 10pm.

Employers are advised to increase hiring flexibility as 30% of employees work remotely.

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500 cases per day in Seoul

The total number of COVID-19 infections in South Korea has so far reached 165,344, with 2,036 deaths. It has only given both injections in a double vaccination to just over 10% of its population of 52 million, while 30% have received at least one dose, most of them over 60 years of age.

The country aims to reach herd immunity before November by vaccinating 70% of the public with at least one shot by September.

“Seoul alone has seen 500 confirmed cases for the third day,” Prime Minister Kim said during Friday’s cabinet meeting. “Four out of every five injuries come from the Seoul metropolitan area.”

While the new will be imposed on Monday, Kim also advised the public to refrain from any private gatherings beginning on Friday.

He also said that during the two-week semi-closed lockdown, the government would suspend the program introduced earlier this year that allowed mask-free outdoor gatherings of citizens who have been vaccinated with at least one shot of COVID-19.

Of the locally acquired cases, 78% were concentrated in the greater Seoul area, and the detection rate of the highly transmissible delta variant nearly tripled in a week, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said at a briefing Friday.

Kwon did not provide the number of cases believed to be associated with the delta variable.

Presidential spokeswoman Park Kyung-mi told reporters that President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting on Monday with senior officials of the greater Seoul area to discuss the measures.

(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kenneth Maxwell)

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