Seoul, Dec 15 : South Korea is considering further reducing the maximum private gathering size and restoring curfews on business hours to tackle the fast spread of Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday.
Kim made the announcement during a government meeting following sharp increases in case numbers and deaths, including an all-time high of 94 Covid fatalities the previous day, reported Yonhap news agency.
The plan marks a reversal of the government’s phased programme for a return to normal that began last month with the loosening of virus restrictions.
“The government considers the current virus situation to be very serious and plans to implement a much more powerful social distancing scheme,” Kim said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
Details of the new measures are expected to be announced on Friday and enforced for the next two weeks.
Currently, private gatherings are limited to six people in the capital area and eight elsewhere, but the new measures are likely to lower that ceiling to four and restore a curfew on restaurant and cafe business hours to 10 p.m.or midnight.
“If the measures are implemented, we will also come up with suitable compensation plans for small business owners and self-employed people who will once again have to bear the pain,” Kim said.The prime minister said the government is focused on securing 5,800 additional hospital beds and increasing vaccinations until the end of the year to help ease the burden on health care workers and protect people’s lives.
The government also plans to increase the number of hospitals specialising in treating Covid-19 in the national capital area and add six more nursing hospitals to reduce the number of senior citizens waiting for a bed, he said.Meanwhile, teenagers, who became eligible for vaccinations later than adults, will now be able to get vaccinated more easily by visiting vaccination sites without prior reservation or through on-site vaccinations at schools, he said.int/dpb
Mulling reducing pvt gathering size, restoring business curfews: S.Korea PM
Kim stated that if the measures are taken, Kim would also recommend compensation programs for self-employed and small business owners.Prime Minister said that the government’s focus is on providing 5,800 more hospital beds, and increasing vaccines up to the end of this year in order to reduce the strain on healthcare workers and save people’s lives.
He said that the government plans to expand the network of Covid-19-specialist hospitals in the capital and to add six additional nursing facilities to decrease the waiting time for senior citizens.
He said that teenagers who are more likely to be eligible for vaccines than their parents will soon have the option of visiting any vaccination site without reservation, or having on-site vaccinations at school.
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