SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – In the wake of the worst outbreak of the pandemic, the South Korean government ordered schools in Seoul and suburbs to close from Tuesday.
In the capital and its surrounding areas, schools will shift classes to online mode. So far, social distancing curbs have failed to bring down the number of infections.
Closure of schools is one step closer towards the imposition of Phase 3 social distancing norms, effectively locking down Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
According to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, such a measure requires careful review as the government is facing rising pressure to do more to curb the spread of the pandemic.
“The government will not hesitate to take the decision to upgrade to Phase 3 if it is considered necessary as it takes into account the opinions of related ministries, local governments, and experts,” he said.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), on Monday there were 718 new pandemic cases, down from the record daily increase of 1,030 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 682 were locally transmitted, it said.
A good chunk of cases is in Seoul, the nearby port city of Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, which has over 25 million people.
The tally of infections is 43,484 and 587 fatalities.
The government launched a massive tracing effort involving hundreds of troops, police and officials to help track down virus carriers.
Some experts said the government and the public needed to do more.
“This is the time to send an impactful message to the public, so that they can take voluntary actions,” said Kim Dong-hyun, president of Korean Society of Epidemiology and a professor at Hallym University College of Medicine.