GOV'T EXTENDS CURRENT DISTANCING MEASURES

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Korea reported 494 new coronavirus cases on Friday. The government has decided to extend the current social distancing measures for two more weeks, as the new daily cases remain high.

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The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters says 494 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the nation as of March 26, 12 a.m. local time. 471 were locally transmitted. 23 were imported. 7 more deaths were added, bringing the total to over 1,700. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the nation stands at around 100,700. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced the current social distancing measures will remain in place for two more weeks, as the daily tally remains high. Currently, Level 2 measures apply to the greater Seoul area. Level 1.5 restrictions for all other regions. Private gatherings of more than 5 people are banned.Restaurants and cafes in the capital area must close at 10 p.m. The measure has been extended for two more weeks. The PM vowed to step up restrictions for people with symptoms to keep them from using public facilities. Several recent cluster outbreaks were caused by those with symptoms using public facilities. Chung expressed concerns public vigilance against the virus is waning as the new daily cases have remained in the 300-400 range for ten weeks now. On March 25, around 32,000 people received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number to some 767,000.