The population hopes that restrictions for gyms, karaoke and schools will soon ease. But authorities will maintain limit of 4 people per gathering. Special quarantine rules for the Lunar New Year. Out of a population of 51 million, the country had 71,241 cases and 1217 deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.71%.
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - For the fourth consecutive day, South Korea recorded around 500 new cases of Covid-19. For experts it is a sign that the third wave of the pandemic is shrinking and soon it will also be possible to reduce emergency measures.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency yesterday reported 513 cases; the previous day they were 524; throughout the past week, there was an average of 555 cases.
The country recorded a peak of infections last December 25 with 1241 cases; in the following days, over 1000 new cases were added every day.
To prepare for this new wave, since 8 December the authorities have imposed level 2 (out of five) of the emergency measures, which require masks, social distancing and gatherings of less than five people.
Today the government will decide whether to continue level 2 or scale down the measures. The population hopes that restrictions on gyms, karaoke and schools will ease. But the authorities will probably maintain the limit of 4 people per gathering, also in preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year, in which millions of people travel in the country and abroad. Authorities are preparing special quarantine measures for those who travel during the holiday.
South Korea is among the most virtuous nations in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. With a population of 51 million (almost half concentrated in Seoul), it had 71,241 cases and 1217 deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.71%.