DISTANCING MEASURES TO BE EASED

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The government has revised COVID-19 restrictions as daily cases stay above 100-thousand for days now. Over the next three weeks starting Sat., private gatherings will be still limited to six. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to stay open until 10 p.m.

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The government announced revised COVID-19 restrictions to take effect from Saturday. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to close an hour later, at 10 p.m., in line with strong demands from small business owners. Private gatherings will still be limited to six due to the soaring number of daily cases. The revised restrictions will stay in effect for three weeks until after the presidential election. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum says the restrictions have not been changed significantly and will stay largely the same until the Omicron wave reaches its peak.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "We believe adjusting the restrictions at least slightly is inevitable within the health care system's capacity in order to alleviate people's financial difficulties."

As for vaccine passes, the government will announce whether the requirement will be eased later in line with the COVID-19 situation. Vaccine passes for adolescents will take effect from April 1st after sufficient preparation. The prime minister pointed out the Omicron wave is expected to peak somewhere between late February and mid-March. He pledged to relax the current restrictions once the surge subsides, as they did in other countries. The government is urging the public to get vaccinated as only 6 percent of those older than 12 are still not immunized but they account for 60 percent of critical cases and deaths.