Gatherings of more than five people will be banned in South Korea’s capital region as a further step to suppress what authorities have called an “explosive” surge in coronavirus infections.
The Seoul region is home to half of South Korea’s 51 million people and has been at the centre of a recent viral resurgence.
The country averaged about 960 new virus cases each day in the past week, more than 70 per cent of them in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Acting Seoul mayor Seo Jung-hyup said the ban will apply to any type of meeting, including year-end parties, office dinners, birthday parties and picnics. Only weddings and funerals can follow the current rule of not more than 50 people.
He said the new restrictions will take effect from Wednesday and last until January 3rd in Seoul, Gyeonggi province that surrounds Seoul, and Incheon city, just west of Seoul.
The mayor said he knows the ban is “harsh” but stressed that the current viral spread cannot be slowed without preventing transmissions among relatives and company colleagues.
He said Seoul could face a lockdown if the current “explosive” surge is not contained.
Earlier, South Korea reported 24 more virus-related deaths in the country’s highest number of daily fatalities since the pandemic began.
The government added a total of 926 new cases, taking the country’s total to 50,591, including 698 deaths. – PA