(LEAD) S. Korea to extend tough virus restrictions for 2 weeks

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SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will extend the current coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions on private gatherings and businesses for another two weeks to curb the spread of the omicron variant, health authorities said Thursday.

The current social distancing rules put in place on Dec. 18 limit the maximum size of private gatherings to four people nationwide and imposed a 9 p.m. curfew on cafes, restaurants and bars.

Those measures were reimposed amid an alarming pace of new infections, with the government backtracking on its earlier plan to relax restrictions in phases to return to normalcy. The rules were set to end on Jan. 2.

The two-week extension is expected to be announced during a COVID-19 response meeting to be presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Friday, they noted.

On Thursday, health authorities reported 5,037 new coronavirus infections, including 4,930 local infections, raising the total caseload to 625,967.

The figure was lower than 5,408 cases reported the previous day and also represented a sharp decline from a daily record high of 7,849 on Dec. 15.

Despite the slowing pace of the spread of the virus, the government is keeping its guard high amid the still high number of critically ill virus patients and lingering uncertainty over the omicron variant.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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