SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea on Sunday relaxed its tough social distancing measures for the next two weeks. New daily novel coronavirus cases have continued to be within triple digits.
The ban on onsite dining after 9 pm has been lifted though restaurants and cafes must limit seating and record patrons’ names and contact details.
While gyms and internet cafes are also allowed to, indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people and outdoor gatherings to 100.
Health authorities said it would return to tougher guidelines for two weeks again from September 28 during the Chuseok holiday.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a televised meeting of government officials, “After a comprehensive review of the recent situation and expert opinion, the government intends to adjust social distancing to phase two in the Seoul area for two weeks.”
Chung said, “The number of daily infections is still not dropping to double-digits and it isn’t yet a situation where measures can be significantly relaxed, as one out of four people’s path of transmission is untraceable.”
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 121 new coronavirus infections as of midnight on Saturday. The total infections are now 22,176, with 358 deaths.