NEW INFECTIONS RECORD ALL-TIME HIGH

[Anchor Lead]

Daily COVID-19 cases in Korea have topped 200-thousand for the first time since the pandemic began. The outbreak is yet to peak, but the government has already suspended vaccine passes, sparking criticism from health experts. They say it's too soon to let our guards down and are calling on individuals to take personal responsibility for their health.

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The government has decided to relax COVID-19 restrictions in order to maximize the country's capabilities in coronavirus response. Health workers, who had to monitor quarantined patients and issue negative test certificates, will now concentrate on monitoring high-risk groups. The government also considered lawsuits and court rulings on the vaccine pass as well as the higher vaccination rate.

[Soundbite] Park Hyang(Central Disaster Management HQs(Feb. 28)) : "With more vaccinations, the controversy and conflict over vaccine passes keep escalating."

On Wednesday Korea reported 219,241 new cases, surpassing 200-thousand for the first time. On March 9, the day of the presidential election, cases are expected to surpass 230-thousand. The number of seriously ill patients could top 1,200. It's difficult to say when exactly this month the outbreak will peak. That's why health experts say it's too soon to relax restrictions.

[Soundbite] Yeom Ho-ki(COVID-19 Response Committee) : "Cases could soar at any time. Seriously ill patients could also rise. It's too soon to ease restrictions because it sends the wrong message to the public and makes it more difficult to keep the situation under control."

The goal of vaccine passes was to encourage more people to get immunized and to protect the unvaccinated. Now that the focus is more on self-monitoring, high-risk groups are especially being urged to follow safety precautions thoroughly.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Woo-joo(Korea Univ. Guro Hospital) : "People should realize the situation is dangerous. High risk people must get inoculated, follow safety rules and avoid personal contact."

There are also calls for measures to protect children, as infections among them have increased and vaccine passes for teenagers have been suspended.