Seoul: South Korea reported a record every day 5,352 new Covid-19 infections and 70 deaths, while the national total nine cases of omicron variants have been confirmed, said Korean disease control (KDCA) on Saturday.
The government on Friday announced that people who visited restaurants, cinemas and other public spaces had to show the vaccine trajectory. It also reduces the limit of private to six people in the larger SEOUL area, from 10 today, and up to eight of the 12 for those who live outside the capital, starting the following Monday.
The inpatient level increased rapidly led by heavy cases of Covid-19, with serious and critical patients at 752 on Friday, KDCA said.
South Korea has also confirmed three additional omicron cases, bringing a total of nine after a partner who was fully vaccinated positive for the variant after traveling from Nigeria last week.
To fend off the new variant, the authorities announced on Friday quarantine requirements for 10 days for all of the inbound travelers for two weeks, stopping the exception given earlier for fully vaccinated people.
South Korea has fought the worst wave of infection since July, when everyday case stands below 2,000 to the government turning to “living with Covid-19”. Cases reached 5,000s for the first time this week, placing pressure on the health care system.
The state, which has been fully inoculated 91.7% of the adult population, has so far reported a total of 467 907 Covid-19 infection, with 3,809 deaths since the start of the Pandemic.