Seoul, December 5 Due to the worsening of the epidemic, Seoul, South Korea, from the 5th, required cinemas, supermarkets and other closures after 21:00, restricting people’s night travel.
In August this year, when the capital circle faced the “second pandemic”, the Seoul restaurant industry imposed a “quasi-curfew” and banned canteen food after 21:00. Since November, South Korea has seen the momentum of the “third pandemic”, and the capital circle has strengthened control.
Data picture: Affected by the coronavirus epidemic, the Korean University Study Ability Examination (equivalent to China’s “college entrance examination”) originally scheduled for November 19, 2020 was postponed to December 3.
According to the report of the Central Epidemic Prevention and Response Headquarters of South Korea, as of 00:00 on December 5, 583 new confirmed cases have been reported in the past 24 hours. South Korea’s new cases exceeded 100 for 28 consecutive days; 629 new cases were reported on the 4th, the highest number in more than nine months.
The Korean Disease Control Agency said on the 5th that in the past week, an average of 514.6 new confirmed cases have been added every day, and the epidemic is spreading rapidly.
Most of the new cases are concentrated in the capital circle. Xu Zhengxie, acting mayor of Seoul, said that Seoul is facing a “great crisis” and there is no room to shrink back. More strict prevention and control measures will be taken. He said that in addition to necessary activities such as medical treatment, nocturnal social activities will be restricted; although this will have some impact on economic life, the first task is to protect the safety of the people.
From the 5th, Seoul public libraries, museums and other facilities were completely closed. After 21:00, cinemas, supermarkets, department stores, playgrounds and other facilities were closed, and restaurants were only allowed to take-out services after 21:00.
Public transportation is also restricted: buses and subways will be reduced by 30% after 21:00 on the 5th and 8th, respectively.
South Korea has just finished the college entrance examination recently, and the education department has asked candidates to avoid gathering to celebrate. The Seoul Department of Education announced that from December 7 to 18, the city’s junior high schools and senior high schools will stop teaching offline and replace them with online teaching.
