As coronavirus cases surge in South Korea, the nation’s government is limiting private gatherings to four people.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced the restrictions, which are reminiscent of similar regulation implemented for the Seoul metropolitan area, according to The Associated Press. Chung said the restrictions will remain in effect through Jan. 3 at the earliest.
Korean officials reported another 869 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, mostly in and around Seoul. The country has recorded a total of 51,460 cases and 722 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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Forty-eight patients have died in the last 48 hours, according to the AP, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Tuesday that 281 current patients are in critical or serious condition.
Chung said the new measures would be particularly vital with Christmas and New Year’s Day approaching.
“It will be crucial to prevent the upcoming two holiday periods from triggering a further spread of COVID-19,” he said.
In addition to the restrictions on gatherings announced Tuesday, the country will shutter nearly 200 skating and skiing venues throughout the nation, some of which saw numerous viral outbreaks in past weeks. Hotels will be banned from booking over 50 percent capacity and national parks will also close their gates, according to the AP.
South Korea was one of a handful of nations praised for its handling of the initial spring wave of the virus, but has seen its numbers swell in recent months. Last week, the country hit a single-day record of 22 deaths from the virus.
“Unless the outbreak can be contained now, it has come to the critical point of considering escalating social-distancing measures to the third level,” President Moon Jae-in said in a press conference on Dec. 13.