S.Korea to expand curbs on private gatherings beyond Seoul

SEOUL: South Korea will expand tougher COVID-19 restrictions on private gatherings to outside the Seoul metropolitan area, as the country struggles to contain its worst outbreak, its prime minister said on Sunday.

"It's been a week since the toughest level of distancing curbs have been imposed in the metropolitan area but the number of confirmed (virus) cases is rarely decreasing ... Pre-emptive measures are needed for now," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a meeting with health officials. From Monday until Aug. 1, current rules in Seoul limiting private gatherings to four people will apply to the rest of the country.