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South Korea extends Covid-19 social distancing rules amid vaccination drive
The announcement at a government meeting comes as South Korea has been ramping up its immunisation drive, authorising use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for people aged 65 years and older in a bid to inoculate 70% of its 52 million residents by September.
South Korea will extend social distancing rules with a ban on private gatherings of more than four people in a bid to stamp out the possibility of a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Friday.
The announcement at a government meeting comes as South Korea has been ramping up its immunisation drive, authorising use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for people aged 65 years and older in a bid to inoculate 70% of its 52 million residents by September.
The country has administered 546,277 doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Thursday midnight, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said, including both AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech treatments.
Chung said the number of daily confirmed Covidcases has been frustratingly stagnant, hovering between 300 and 400 over the past eight weeks. The country reported 488 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the highest in three weeks.
South Korea has so far reported a total of 94,686 infections, with 1,662 deaths.
The Prime Minister warned of the constant risk of cluster infections in greater Seoul area, where the third wave began. Over 60% of infections were recorded in the capital and neighbouring areas, according to the KDCA.
"We are aware that the citizens are getting weary of drawn-out social distancing," said Chung. "A retreat from virus-prevention measures could lead to a fourth wave of infections."
