South Korea extends virus curbs to counter Delta spike

ANKARA (AA) – South Korea on Friday extended its COVID-19 restrictions for another two weeks as infections soar due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

“The urgent fire has been extinguished with the patience and cooperation of the people, but the flames of infection spread are still going on,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said after chairing a meeting to review the country’s virus situation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

He said “it was not easy” for the government to extend the restrictions, which were due to end this Sunday, but “coronavirus control and prevention is a priority for now.”

The decision came as South Korea’s daily virus tally was over 1,700 for the third straight day.

A total of 1,704 new cases raised the country’s total caseload to 207,406, while three more fatalities brought the death toll to 2,113, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Level 4 restrictions will remain effective in the Seoul metropolitan area, meaning there will be a “ban on gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m., a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes, and a ban on nightclubs and other entertainment venues,” the agency reported.

Other parts of the country are at Level 3, under which gatherings of five or more people are not allowed and cafes and restaurants can only accept customers until 10 in the night.

The prime minister said there was a possibility of another spike in infections after an upcoming public holiday on Aug. 15, warning that no street rallies and gatherings will be allowed to mark Liberation Day.

“Such acts are tantamount to pouring fuel on the fourth wave of the pandemic,” he said, referring to plans of some religious groups to stage rallies.

“Political beliefs and considerations cannot take precedence over the lives and safety of the people,” Kim stressed.

Some 20.53 million people have received first shots of COVID-19 vaccines since South Korea started its immunization drive in February, while 7.53 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to the latest data.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid