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| A notice is posted at a supermarket in Seoul, Sunday, announcing changes in its operating hours, as the Seoul Metropolitan Government forced stores, movie theaters and several other facilities to close after 9 p.m. for two weeks starting Saturday to help curb the spread of COVID-19. For its part, the central government announced a decision to raise its social distancing scheme to Level 2.5 in Seoul and its surrounding areas, starting Tuesday, amid the third wave of infections. / Yonhap |
Gov't raises social distancing rules to Level 2.5 in capital
By Jun Ji-hye
The government decided to raise its social distancing measures by one notch to Level 2.5 in the Seoul metropolitan area that includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, as daily new COVID-19 cases have continued to increase amid the third wave of infections, health authorities said Sunday.
Level 2.5 is the fourth-highest level in the five-tier social distancing scheme, and restricts people's daily activities considerably. It marked the first time for the government to impose Level 2.5 rules on a region since it reformed its social distancing system in early November by replacing the three-tier scheme with the current five-tier scheme.
Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said during a media briefing after a government meeting on COVID-19 response that the government also decided to elevate the distancing scheme in other parts of the nation to Level 2 amid growing concerns over the rapid spread of infections nationwide.
"The enhanced social distancing rules will take effect Tuesday and will be in place for three weeks," Park said. "Each local government is allowed to adjust the distancing rules in accordance with the situation in their respective region."
The decision came as Level 1.5 and Level 2 distancing rules that have been applied to the capital area so far have had little apparent effect on curbing the spread of virus infections ― the government raised the measures in the area to Level 1.5 on Nov. 19, and to Level 2 on Nov. 24.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during the government meeting, "The country is facing the greatest crisis in its fight against COVID-19 that has lasted for more than 10 months. The next three weeks until the end of the year will be designated as a special period for strong nationwide antivirus efforts."
Level 2.5 rules prohibit gatherings of 50 or more people, and force operations of door-to-door sales businesses, singing rooms and indoor concert venues that offer standing shows to be suspended, in addition to nightclubs and bars.
Indoor sports facilities such as gyms are also forced to close, while class sizes at schools are restricted to one-third capacity.
Movie theaters, private education institutes and libraries are allowed to operate until 9 p.m.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the nation's daily number of new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 600, as it added 631 infections for Saturday, raising the total caseload to 37,546. The daily number was up 48 from 583 identified Friday.
Among the 631 new cases, 599 were locally transmitted cases, while 32 were imported from overseas. Among the local infections, 470 were from the Seoul metropolitan area.
The latest daily figure was the highest since the nation was hit by the third wave of the pandemic that began last month.
Lim Sook-young, a senior official from the KDCA, noted that the nation's reproduction rate for COVID-19 has reached 1.4 for last week, meaning that one patient infects 1.4 people.
"If we fail to reduce this figure to below 1, the nation will suffer more infections," Lim said. "The enhanced social distancing rules have appeared to create less effect due to increasing infections in local communities."
Amid concerns over the insufficiency of the social distancing system, Lee Jae-gap, a doctor at Hallym University Hospital, called on the government to more actively accept opinions from health experts.
"The government needs to set up a private-public committee under the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters to collect opinions about the adjustment of the distancing rules and make a decision," he said.
For its part, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has already decided, Friday, to force stores, movie theaters and multiple other facilities to close after 9 p.m. for two weeks starting Saturday to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
