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| People stand in line to receive a coronavirus test at a testing center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap |
PM warns of strongest social distancing measures
By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea is now experiencing a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the health authorities, with the daily caseload for Tuesday reaching the second-highest since the coronavirus outbreak here.
In response, the authorities decided to keep the current social distancing level for Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, but warned that it may be raised to the highest anytime soon if the current upward trend prevails.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,212 daily new cases for Tuesday, the largest since Dec. 24 when they reached 1,240 at the peak of the third wave of infections.
The increase is mainly concentrated in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where 85 percent of the 1,168 local transmissions were reported.
By age group, the KDCA said the virus is spreading among people in their 20s and 30s who are socially active, and most of whom have not yet received a vaccine shot.
Against this backdrop, the government has decided to extend current social distancing measures in the metropolitan area for one additional week until July 14, while warning that the strongest level may be implemented depending on the circumstances.
"If we fail to bring the current situation under control within two or three days, we will review imposing the strongest social distancing level," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said at a COVID-19 response team meeting.
The highest level in the newly-devised social distancing system is Level 4, under which private gatherings of more than three people are banned in the evening after 6 p.m. Eateries, cafes, and bars are allowed to remain open until 10 p.m., but the operations of nighttime entertainment facilities are banned.
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| Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum explains additional social distancing measures for Seoul and its surrounding areas at a COVID-19 response meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
President Moon Jae-in also ordered swift measures to curb the spread of the virus in the metropolitan area.
He ordered a "great expansion of preemptive testing capacity by mobilizing military and police officers," and stressed a "zero-tolerance policy against violators of quarantine measures," according to Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will expand preemptive testing of people in their 20s and 30s by setting up additional makeshift testing centers at areas frequently visited by young people including Hongdae and Gangnam.
The ministry strongly recommended people in that age group receive a test, even those who are not experiencing coronavirus symptoms. It also recommended companies in the metropolitan area expand work-from-home arrangements.
The government also warned of a "zero tolerance policy" against business operators caught violating distancing measures, and said they will be immediately subject to a 10-day business suspension.
Meanwhile, medical experts insisted that stronger measures are needed to control the current situation, expressing concerns that the country might see explosive growth in COVID-19 cases in coming weeks considering the summer vacation season and the highly contagious Delta variant spreading among asymptomatic patients.
"Unlike the third wave of the pandemic, current infection cases are not being traced to certain massive clusters, which means that the virus is rapidly spreading through person to person contact," said Chon Eun-mi, a professor of respiratory medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.
"The government should take bolder steps by raising the distancing level rather than extending the current measures by one week, as temporary measures may worsen public fatigue and lower their awareness on the current situation."
