S. Korea to extend tightened social-distancing rules for 2 weeks

SEOUL -- South Korea decided Friday to extend the tightened social-distancing rules for two more weeks in a bid to reduce hospitalizations and contain the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum made the announcement during a COVID-19 response meeting, saying it was too early to be sure that the country overcame the pandemic crisis.

The government began to toughen anti-virus measures on Dec 18 as the eased quarantine measures called "Living with COVID-19" in November led to surging infections.

Under the tightened social-distancing guideline nationwide, the maximum number of people allowed for private gatherings will remain four for two more weeks until Jan 16.

The business hour curfew will be maintained on multi-use facilities. Restaurants and cafes will be permitted to open until 9:00 pm local time.

Those who are not fully inoculated will be allowed to enter restaurants and cafes alone or use take-out and delivery services.

The business hour of nighttime entertainment facilities, such as nightclubs and bars, will be restricted to 9:00 pm, but movie theaters, concert halls and internet cafes will be allowed to operate until 10:00 pm.

The tougher anti-virus measures were taken to lower hospitalizations and contain the Omicron variant.

In the latest tally, South Korea reported 4,875 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, lifting the total number of infections to 630,838.

The number of the Omicron variant infections came to 894 so far, including 479 imported cases and 415 domestic transmissions, up 269 from the prior day.

The number of infected people who were in a serious condition stood at 1,056, down 89 from the previous day.