SEOUL • The South Korean government ramped up efforts to end a strike by thousands of the country's doctors yesterday, as Seoul took the unprecedented step of restricting eateries in the capital in a bid to blunt a surge in coronavirus cases.
The Health Ministry extended a back-to-work order for doctors to the entire country and filed a complaint with the police against at least 10 doctors it said have not abided by an order that has been in place in Seoul since Wednesday.
The escalation in the dispute between doctors and the government comes as South Korean officials grapple with a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections.
After aggressive tracing and testing contained a large outbreak earlier this year, the country suffered a setback this month when a church cluster spread to a political rally.
Officials reported 371 new infections as of midnight on Thursday, bringing the country's total to 19,077, including 316 deaths.
Yesterday, officials further constricted movement in the Seoul metropolitan area, the centre of the fresh outbreak.
Coffee shops, some of which have been identified as hot spots in the outbreak, are restricted to takeaway and delivery services. Restaurants, snack bars and bakeries are not allowed to offer on-site dining between the hours of 9pm and 5am.
The measures will last for at least a week.
Churches, nightclubs and most schools in the capital are already closed, and masks are mandatory in public places.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced that the government had agreed to extend phase two restrictions - the second highest level - across the country for at least another week.
"Phase three social distancing is the choice of last resort given the economic and social ripple effect," Mr Chung said during a government meeting.
Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) director Jeong Eun-kyeong warned that modelling indicates that if the outbreak is not contained, cases could surge to as many as 2,000 per day.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said yesterday: "To protect lives and safety of the citizens in a grave crisis of nationwide coronavirus transmission, the government inevitably expanded the back-to-work order for trainee and professional doctors today nationwide."
Almost 16,000 intern and resident doctors have been on strike since Aug 21 over the government's plans to boost the number of doctors in the country over the coming decade to better prepare for public health crises.
The student doctors, however, argue that extra funding would be better spent improving the salaries of existing trainees, and addressing systemic issues.
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371
Number of new infections as of midnight on Thursday.
316
Number of deaths in the country so far.
16,000
Approximate number of intern and resident doctors who have been on strike since Aug 21 over the government's plans to boost the number of doctors in the country.
Meanwhile South Korea's Finance Minister said on Thursday that the government will consider drafting its fourth supplementary budget of this year should the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic significantly worsen.
If deployed, the toughest stage three social distancing rules, where schools and business are urged to close, would inflict further pain on Asia's fourth-largest economy.
"The fourth extra budget will depend on the pace of new coronavirus case increases, as well as... whether we raise social distancing rules," Mr Hong Nam-ki said in a briefing, at which remarks were embargoed till yesterday.
A fourth extra budget would bolster the 277 trillion won (S$318 billion) worth of fiscal stimulus already pledged by the government this year to fight the pandemic.
REUTERS
