S.Korea extends social distancing rules as Omicron cases spike
Gulf Times
An employee disinfects a bench as a man wearing a mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) looks on at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, January 5, 2022.
South Korea extended Covid-19 social distancing rules on Friday for an additional two weeks as Omicron variant infections soar, including a 9 pm curfew for restaurants and a six-person limit on private gatherings.
The restrictions were due to end on Sunday but Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the extension was necessary to slow the spread of Omicron amid fears the Lunar New Year holiday, which ended on Wednesday, may have fuelled infections.
"Slowing the pace of the Omicron's spread, which is heading to its peak day after day, is a priority in this difficult circumstance," he said at a televised government response meeting.
New daily cases have tripled over the past two weeks, but the number of deaths and serious infections have remained relatively low in the highly vaccinated country.
