South Korea reported more than 41,000 cases in the past week with a daily average of more than 5,800.
With 81 percent of the population having received two doses of a vaccine, the country had started to lessen restrictions in November to try to regain some semblance of normalcy. However, the new surge prompted the government to roll out new measures.
New rules in the Seoul area ban private gatherings larger than seven people and require proof of vaccination to attend public indoor venues, including restaurants. Government officials also required hospitals around the country to designate 2,000 additional beds for coronavirus patients.
The government will also shorten the waiting period between the second vaccine shot and the booster from four or five months to three months starting next week.
During a virus-centric meeting, Kim expressed worry over what is to come if the measures don’t work.
“If it becomes clear that we aren’t succeeding in reversing this crisis situation within the next few days, the government will have no other choice but to employ extraordinary anti-virus measures, including strong social distancing,” he said.
Critics have blamed the spread on complacency by the government, which dramatically lowered social distancing rules at the start of November in what officials described as the first step toward restoring pre-pandemic normalcy.
In allowing larger social gatherings, longer indoor dining hours at restaurants and fully reopening schools in November, officials predicted that the country’s improving vaccination rates will help suppress hospitalizations and fatalities even if the virus continues to spread.
However, serious cases and deaths have soared among people in their 60s or older, including those whose immunities have waned after being inoculated early in the vaccine rollout that began in February. Only 10 percent of the population has received booster shots.
Even as cases began to soar in recent weeks, officials were initially hesitant to tighten social distancing, citing exhaustion and frustration by the public with restrictions and their impact on livelihoods. But as the contagious Delta variant reduced the effectiveness of vaccines and most people in their 60s or older are still waiting for their booster shoots, and the first cases of omicron were discovered, the sense of urgency became apparent.
The increased hospital bed capacity of 2,000 will be used to ease the crush on hospitals in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan region, where around 90 percent of intensive care units are already occupied. Officials said more than 1,200 virus patients in the greater capital area who required hospitalization were being forced to wait at home as of Friday morning because of bed shortages.
Officials have revamped their medical response policy so that most mild cases can be treated at home. While around 20,500 are receiving home care, some doctors’ groups say the new approach puts lives at risk.
Deputy Health Minister Lee Ki-il said officials may further reduce the limit on social gatherings and restore business-hour restrictions at restaurants and bars that were lifted in November if things continue to look bad next week.
“We will try our best to avoid a lockdown,” Lee said.
Some experts have called for stronger measures, such as forcing employers to use remote work and increasing government spending to support small business owners in the devastated service industry to ensure compliance with social distancing rules.
South Korea has also tightened its borders to fend off the new Omicron variant since identifying its first cases last week that were linked to arrivals from Nigeria. The KDCA said health workers confirmed three more Omicron infections on Friday, bringing the tally to 63.
Scientists say it’s not yet clear whether Omicron is more contagious or dangerous than previous strains of the virus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
