South Korea mulls stricter social distancing as COVID-19 spike continues

Women wearing face masks walk past a banner promoting a social distancing campaign displayed on the wall of Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea, November 27, 2020. REUTERS/Heo Ran/File photo

SEOUL — South Korean authorities will consider tighter social distancing restrictions on Sunday to clamp down on economic activities after last week saw the fastest spread of infections since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is to meet with health authority officials at 3 p.m. local time to decide whether virus curbs need to be tightened further to slow transmissions, Yonhap News said.

South Korea reported 450 infections of the new coronavirus on Sunday after reporting more than 500 new coronavirus cases for three days in a row, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

This third wave marks the highest level of infections in nearly nine months.

South Korea on Tuesday began applying Level 2 social distancing rules, the third-highest in the country’s five-tier system, in greater Seoul area.

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