South Korea Extends Covid Curbs Amid Omicron's "Persistent" Surge
NDTV
Covid In South Korea: Extension of curbs is aimed at bracing for spread of Omicron cases by using the time to secure more hospital beds and encourage a booster vaccine shot campaign.
South Korea said on Friday it will extend stricter social distancing rules for two weeks amid a persistent surge in serious coronavirus infections and concerns over the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
The government reinstated the curbs on Dec. 18, six weeks after easing them under a "living with COVID-19" scheme, as record-breaking numbers of new infections and serious cases put a huge strain on the country's medical system.
Daily tallies have since decreased, with 4,875 new cases on Thursday, after spiralling near 8,000 two weeks ago, but the number of critically ill patients still hovers around their highest level of 1,000, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The extension is also aimed at bracing for a further spread of Omicron cases by using the time to secure more hospital beds and encourage a booster vaccine shot campaign, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said.
