Seoul, South Korea
With the fears of a second wave of coronavirus in the country, South Korea has decided to reimpose social distancing regulations to contain the spread of the virus, especially in the capital city, Seoul.
The decision was taken after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 315 new cases in the city on Friday night within 24 hours. The point of concern was also that majority of the cases were domestic infections.
âIf we donât curb the spread (of the virus) in early stages, this will grow as a large-scale wave. To us, there is nothing more important than focusing on responding to COVID-19,â Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told a briefing on Saturday.
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South Korea was once applauded for its response to the pandemic, with the help of effective contact tracing and large-scale testing. However, the recent surge in cases is becoming a point of concern for the local authorities now.
The recent surge in cases has forced the local authorities to reimpose social distancing norms which include restrictions on parties, karaoke bars, buffets, nightclubs, cyber cafes and all other cultural gatherings.
While the restrictions are currently only in Seoul and few of the neighbouring towns, the authorities have claimed that there is a possibility of the restrictions extending in other populated areas of the country too, depending on the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea has now increased to 17,002 with 309 deaths.