S. Korea extends curbs to most of the country as cases hit new record
Ban on meetups of more than two people after 6pm placed on greater Seoul area
SEOUL: South Korea tightened curbs across most of the country yesterday to tackle its worst Covid-19 outbreak a day after cases soared to a new daily peak of 1,615.
The latest daily tally easily surpassed the previous record of 1,378 set last Friday, adding to growing worries centred on the rapid spread of the more contagious Delta variant and a slowing vaccination campaign.
Clusters have sprung up quickly in the capital Seoul and neighbouring areas fuelled by the Delta variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said from today the government would tighten distancing rules across most of the country, with the exception of some southern regions, to Level 2 on a four-level scale.
Under Level 2, gatherings of more than eight people are banned, and restaurants and bars must close by midnight.
"The average numbers of new cases from regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area have more than doubled from last week," Mr Kim said, adding further curbs would be enforced in some high-risk areas.
The toughest Level 4 curbs, which include a ban on gatherings of more than two people after 6pm, were imposed on Monday in the greater Seoul area.
Meanwhile, Australian authorities extended a lockdown in Sydney yesterday by at least 14 days, after three weeks of initial restrictions failed to stamp out the biggest outbreak of Covid-19 this year.
New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said restrictions would remain in place until at least July 30 after reporting 97 new locally transmitted cases, a slight increase from a day earlier.
Since the first case was detected near Bondi Beach last month, the shutdown has been extended twice.
Total infections across the city of 5 million now stand at just under 900 and two deaths have been reported, the first for the country this year.
Neighbouring Victoria state reported its biggest daily increase in weeks, all linked to a team of furniture movers who carried the virus from Sydney.
Among the seven new cases in the state, one attended a football match at Melbourne Cricket Ground while contagious, meaning 2,000 people who were in the same members' area needed to get tested, the authorities said. - REUTERS
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