Daily COVID-19 Cases Near 30,000... 'Private Gatherings of 6' Social Distancing Extended for 2 More Weeks

27,443 New Cases as of Midnight on the 4th, Another Record High

On the 30th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 17,532, marking the highest record for six consecutive days, citizens visiting the COVID-19 screening clinic at Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul conducted rapid antigen tests using self-test kits. If the test result is positive, they immediately move to the adjacent PCR testing area for a PCR test. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the COVID-19 Omicron variant rapidly spreads, the daily number of new confirmed cases has exceeded 27,000. The government has decided to maintain the current social distancing measures of ‘private gatherings limited to 6 people and business hours restricted to 9 PM’ until the 20th.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 4th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 27,443 from the previous day, reaching a cumulative total of 934,656. The number of new confirmed cases first exceeded 10,000 on the 26th of last month (13,009 cases), then rose to over 20,000 a week later on the 2nd (20,269 cases), and approached 30,000 again just two days later.

The increase in confirmed cases has also expanded. While new daily cases were increasing by 1,000 to 2,000 a week ago, on this day they rose by as many as 4,536. This is analyzed to be due to increased nationwide movement during the Lunar New Year holiday period and a higher number of COVID tests conducted.

The government extended the current social distancing measures for two weeks. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum explained at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting that day, “As the Lunar New Year holiday passes, the spread of the Omicron variant is rapidly accelerating, so ‘safe driving’ is necessary. Although there were opinions to partially ease social distancing, after careful consideration, we decided to extend the current measures for two weeks.”

Accordingly, in restaurants and cafes, up to 6 people who have completed vaccination can gather, while unvaccinated individuals are allowed to use restaurants alone. Measures for events, assemblies, and religious facilities will remain unchanged from previous standards.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.