Cases Of COVID-19 Infection Rise Sharply, South Korean Deputy Minister: We Are In A Very Dangerous Situation

Illustration of COVID-19 in South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Piotrus)

JAKARTA - South Korean authorities announced the extension of social distancing restrictions, to combat the coronavirus pandemic, for the next two weeks, Friday local time.

In addition, the authorities are also offering more incentives for people who want to be vaccinated against COVID-19, to fight thousands of new cases every day, especially in the capital city of Seoul.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in the Seoul area, prompting social distancing restrictions to be extended until October 17. This includes a ban on eating out after 10 p.m. and gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m. in the area.

The country of Ginseng recorded 2,486 new COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), with the daily tally reaching 3,000 for the first time last week.

The average daily infection cases exceeded 2,635 over the past week, the highest level ever and easily more than twice the level a month earlier, KDCA said.

The capital Seoul and surrounding areas remain a hotspot, reporting nearly 2,000 daily cases over the past week, up about 42 percent in just one week.

"We are in a very dangerous situation, where the virus is spreading around the Seoul metropolitan area," said Lee Ki-il, deputy minister of health care policy, at a briefing citing Reuters Oct. 1.

"The next two weeks are an important period, as the government is reforming its anti-virus policies to facilitate a gradual return to normal activities starting in November," he added.

Among the new incentives introduced to encourage people to be vaccinated, the deputy minister said the wedding ceremony could be attended by up to 199 participants if they included 150 people who had already received full COVID-19 vaccinations.

"If vaccination rates continue to rise and the scale of the outbreak is stably controlled over the next two weeks, we should be able to start a gradual return to normal in earnest," Lee said.

About 77 percent of South Korea's 52 million population had received a single shot of the COVID-19 vaccine as of yesterday, with about 50 percent fully vaccinated, as South Korea steps up its vaccination campaign.

To note, the South Korean Government is targeting the vaccination of 80 percent of its entire adult population by the end of October, considering introducing a vaccine pass, allowing those who have been vaccinated to take public transportation and travel freely.