LEVEL 4 RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE

[Anchor Lead]

COVID-19 infections are showing no signs of abating. The current social distancing rules will be in effect for two more weeks starting Monday. Operations of restaurants and cafes will be shortened by one hour to 9 p.m. in regions under level-four measures. The government is urging the public to keep their guard up against the virus, warning of a possible explosive surge.

[Pkg]

Late at night, a locked door is forced open. Inside, a bar is caught operating with bright lights on.

[Soundbite] "We are from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency."

For two days in Seoul alone, authorities found 53 entertainment facilities that illegally operated and violated the pandemic-related business curfew. The government is strengthening crackdowns on business curfew violations. It believes there will be more infected people who remain undetected and are unwilling to reveal their travel routes after violating anti-virus rules. The current social distancing rules have been extended for two more weeks. In particular, restaurants and cafes are banned from operating after 9 p.m. in the capital area and other regions that are under Level 4. Customers of convenience stores will also not be allowed to eat inside the stores from 9 p.m. Roughly 30 percent of cluster infections originate from restaurants and cafes where customers take off their masks to eat. 18 more cases linked to a cluster infection at a bar in southern Seoul, where an employee tested positive last Monday, have been reported.

[Soundbite] Kang Do-tae(Vice Health Minister) : "Provision of proper medical services can become difficult. We predict that an explosive surge can be possible if we lower our guards."

Under Level 4, only two people are allowed to gather together from 6 p.m. But groups of up to four people can use restaurants and cafes if they include two vaccinated people. South Korea added 1,418 new cases on Monday, continuing a four-digit increase for 48 days. In some regions, including Daejeon and Chungcheongnam-do Province, hospital beds are fully occupied. The healthcare workers' union last week warned that it will stage a strike next month, demanding an increase in staff. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is urging them to discuss the matter with the government first.