Coronavirus: South Korea’s daily cases eclipse 100,000 for first time; Japan’s death toll rises
- Deaths, however, have remained relatively low in the highly vaccinated country which slightly eased a curfew on businesses from 9pm to 10pm
- Elsewhere, officials swing into action after foreign tourists in Bali complained of being overcharged for Covid-19 hotel quarantine and visas
Authorities announced on Friday they would move a curfew on restaurants and cafes from 9pm to 10pm, a nod to increasing criticism from business owners.
“The situation for small business owners and the self-employed is desperate,” President Moon Jae-in told a meeting of aides on Friday, when calling for the parliament to quickly pass a supplemental budget with measures for “resolving the difficulties of the people’s livelihood.”
Other anti-pandemic rules such as a six-person cap on private gatherings, a seven-day quarantine for international arrivals, mask mandates in public spaces, and vaccine passes for a range of businesses, will be in place until at least March 13, officials said, after the election.
Moon is barred by the constitution from running again. The two leading contenders are locked in what may be the tightest race in 20 years.
As cases have surged, South Korea has scaled back the tracking, tracing, and quarantining strategy that helped it keep earlier waves in check.