| People wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a screening clinic in Seoul's Songpa District, Nov. 29. Yonhap |
The risk level of the pandemic in South Korea's capital area over the past week has reached the highest level, health authorities said Monday, hinting no further easing of social distancing rules is in the offing.
Last week, South Korea introduced a new five-tier assessment system to evaluate the risk level of COVID-19 on a weekly basis that will be used to decide whether to further ease virus restrictions under its three-phase "living with COVID-19" scheme, which began on Nov. 1.
If the risk level reaches the fourth degree or higher, the government is supposed to carry out an "emergency evaluation" of the pandemic situation for the potential enforcement of contingency plans while halting the relaxed curbs.
The level for the greater Seoul area, which includes Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, has jumped from the fourth highest level to the fifth, the top level, in just one week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The KDCA said the other parts of South Korea have remained at the third highest degree for two consecutive weeks.
The KDCA also said it has become impossible to move on to the second phase of the country's ambitious scheme to gradually return to normal life.
Under the first of the three-phase scheme, the government relaxed most of its coronavirus restrictions, such as nighttime curfews on cafes, restaurants and other multi-use facilities.
The second phase was expected to kick off in December, the authorities said. The final stage of the scheme was expected to kick off in late January, which will focus on completely lifting restrictions on private gatherings.
South Korea's quarantine efforts have stood at a critical juncture as it has seen a surge in COVID-19 related deaths and critically ill patients.
On Monday, the country reported 3,309 new COVID-19 cases, staying below 4,000 for the second straight day, due largely to fewer tests. (Yonhap)