bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

South Korea said it is considering tightening its social distancing rules as it reported 629 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the most since the first wave of infections in the country peaked in late February.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the situation was critical as infections continued to rise at an alarming rate despite the reimposition of social distancing rules late last month.
The government would decide on Sunday whether to upgrade restrictions, he said.
“It’s been 10 days since we upgraded the social distancing rules to phase 2 in the Seoul metropolitan area, but the transmission still seems to be uncontainable,” Chung told a government meeting according to Yonhap news agency.
Tighter virus curbs hit South Korea’s small businesses hardest
Of the new cases, 295 were from capital Seoul, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported. South Korea has now reported a total of 36,332 infections, with 536 deaths.
Acting Seoul mayor Seo Jeong-hyup on Friday told the CBS radio station that the city government was planning to draw up additional measures, Yonhap reported.
The capital is currently under Level 2 social distancing rules, the middle level in the country’s five-tier system.


“If we enter into Level 3 of social distancing, all economic activities will effectively grind to a halt,” he was quoted as saying.
“Level 3 is the last card we will use in a desperately dangerous situation,” he continued. “We will discuss additional steps with experts and may announce them as early as this afternoon.”
Authorities are concerned that university entrance exams which nearly half a million students sat on Thursday could prove to be another source of infections.
Chung urged students to refrain from visiting high-risk areas such as karaoke bars and internet cafes as they celebrate the end of the exam period.
Japan to make Covid-19 vaccines free as deadly surge threatens elderly
Japan’s Osaka on highest alert
The Osaka prefectural government raised its virus alert to the highest level after a rise in serious cases put strain on its medical system.
Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, at a news conference late Thursday, urged residents to stay home until December 15. Schools will remain open but bars and restaurants in certain districts are being asked to close early.
Osaka reported 386 new cases on Thursday; number of patients with serious conditions rose to 136, meaning two-thirds of hospital beds have been occupied, according to Kyodo.
Philippines allows meetings in malls as cases ebb
The Philippines has allowed hotels, malls and restaurants to host meetings and conventions after reported coronavirus infections declined in the past days.
Trade events, seminars and board meetings can now be held in areas under general community quarantine including in Metro Manila, as long as only 30 per cent of the venue’s capacity is used, the nation’s virus task force said.
Economic managers are pushing to further reopen the economy that’s forecast to shrink as much as 9.5 per cent this year. The Philippines has the second-worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, even as daily cases have declined over the past days.
It reported 1,061 new cases on Thursday, the least in a month and pushing total infections to over 435,000.
India records 36,595 new infections
India’s daily coronavirus cases rose by less than 40,000 for the fifth straight day, health ministry data showed on Friday, with 36,595 new infections reported in the last 24 hours.
India’s daily rate has fallen since the south Asian nation reported the world’s highest such tallies through most of August and September, despite a busy festival season last month that experts had warned could trigger a spike in infections.
Its tally is now at 9.57 million and remains the world’s second-highest after the US, where there have been nearly 14 million infections.
Deaths in India rose by 540, the ministry said, with the total now at 139,188.
Additional reporting by DPA, Bloomberg


Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees ‘bleisure’ boom after pandemic curbs, CEO says

US could require US$15,000 bonds for some tourist, business visas

China’s Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports hit record highs, surpass pre-Covid passenger levels

Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus: South Korea mulls tighter curbs as cases soar to nine-month high

Workers wearing face masks arrange lanterns on a tree to celebrate the upcoming New Year at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AP

Vote fraud claims, rising Covid-19 deaths prompt South Koreans to ask: how did the US lose its way?

A man holds a placard during a New York march in memory of those who have died of Covid-19 and to protest the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic. Photo: AFP

(FILES) In this file photo lines of vehicles make their way to and from Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing on November 20, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. - US health officials on December 2, 2020 recommended a shortened quarantine period for people exposed to Covid-19, from 14 to 10 days if they haven't taken a test and have not developed symptoms. This can be further reduced to just seven days if the exposed person receives a negative test, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist Henry Walke said. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

South Korean protesters hold placards during an anti-US rally in Seoul last year. Photo: AFP

As South Korea’s economy rebounds, small businesses struggle with tighter coronavirus curbs

An electronic sign board shows the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: EPA

epa08843306 Health workers disinfect a school in the southeastern city of Daegu, South Korea, 26 November 2020, amid a resurgence of the coronavirus ahead of the national college entrance exam slated for 03 December 2020. EPA-EFE/YONHAP SOUTH KOREA OUT

epa08832750 Pedestrians crowd a street near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul, South Korea, 21 November 2020, the first weekend since social distancing was raised one notch to Level 1.5 for the greater Seoul area in response to a surge in new coronavirus cases. EPA-EFE/YONHAP SOUTH KOREA OUT

News

Asia

East Asia

Coronavirus


South Korea reported 629 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, the highest since early March
Acting Seoul mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said the city government was planning to draw up additional measures



South Korea reported 629 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, the highest since early March.


Coronavirus South Korea

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

South Korea

Coronavirus: South Korea mulls tighter curbs as cases soar to nine-month high

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} South Korea reported 629 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, the highest since early March Acting Seoul mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said the city government was planning to draw up additional measures

South Korea reported 629 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, the highest since early March

Acting Seoul mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said the city government was planning to draw up additional measures