NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

In a radio interview, main opposition People Power Party chairman Lee Jun-seok said that various tips are coming in related to ruling Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s wife. He said those reports need to be verified and it takes time, so his party will not act in a hasty manner. On why PPP candidate Yoon Suk-yeol did not bring up abuse of privilege allegations involving Lee’s wife during yesterday's TV debate, Lee said the issue has not fully developed yet and the PPP does not believe in relying solely on negative campaigning.
Now COVID news. Daily infections continue above 20,000 for the third day reaching fresh highs. Health authorities said 27,443 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, up by more than 45-hundred from the previous day and by some 10,000 compared to a week ago. ICU bed occupancy rate recorded 15% as of 5 pm Thursday nationwide. Over 104-thousand-800 patients are being treated at home. Twenty-four more deaths have been reported in a day, raising the death toll to 6,836. The fatality rate stands at 0.73%.
Current social distancing rules that include a cap on private gatherings of no more than six people will be extended by two more weeks to February 20. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday the spread of omicron is in full force following the Lunary New Year holiday and distancing rules will be extended though there were opinions that they should be relaxed. Kim said if the quarantine situation becomes more manageable, antivirus measures could be adjusted even before two weeks time.