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| Students wait for a performance at Pusan National University in Busan, May 19. South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for a third consecutive day to stay below 30,000 for Thursday. Yonhap |
New COVID-19 cases fell for a third consecutive day Thursday to stay below 30,000, but the government delayed relaxing more virus restrictions, citing the continuing Omicron wave and possible spread of other variants.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 25,125 new infections, including 22 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,914,957.
The daily counts have steadily declined this week, from 35,113 for Monday to 28,130, Wednesday, apart from Sunday's remarkably low tally of 13,292 due to fewer tests over weekends.
The highly transmissible Omicron wave seems to have peaked in South Korea after marking over 620,000 infections in mid-March.
The KDCA recorded 43 more deaths, putting the total at 23,885, for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent.
The number of critically ill patients came to 251, down from the previous day's 274.
The modest decline in the virus curve has given a boost to the government's efforts to restore pre-pandemic normalcy, enabling it to lift most virus restrictions, such as the cap on private gatherings and business curfews.
The government, however, announced Friday it will push back relaxing other steps, including the lifting of a seven-day quarantine mandate for COVID-19 patients, for another four weeks.
"Highly contagious new variants have been detected in the country, and concerns are being raised over deteriorating vaccine effects and immunity," Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said at a virus response meeting.
"We'll maintain the seven-day quarantine mandate and will reevaluate the situation after four weeks," Lee added.
The current measures will remain in place until June 20.
The health authorities had set a four-week interim period for preparations before taking the next post-pandemic steps, centering on removing the quarantine mandate. The interim period was due to end Friday.
As of midnight Thursday, 44.56 million, or 86.8 percent of the population, had completed the full two-dose course of vaccinations, and 33.25 million (64.8 percent) had received their first booster shots. A total of 3.7 million people have had their second boosters, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)
