Coronavirus pandemic

South Korea reimposes strict social distancing rules after spike in coronavirus cases

Its 79 new cases come as curbs are eased and may weaken its success in halting outbreak

People waiting in line to be tested for coronavirus at an outdoor clinic in Bucheon, South Korea, yesterday. The new cases are mostly centred in the Seoul metropolitan area where half the South Korean population lives.
People waiting in line to be tested for coronavirus at an outdoor clinic in Bucheon, South Korea, yesterday. The new cases are mostly centred in the Seoul metropolitan area where half the South Korean population lives. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

SEOUL • South Korea yesterday re-imposed a series of social distancing measures it had eased early this month, as a series of coronavirus clusters threatened to challenge its success in containing the outbreak.

The country, which has been held up as a global model in how to curb the virus, reported its biggest spike in new infections in nearly two months even as daily life appeared to return to normal.

The 79 new cases reported yesterday - mostly centred in the Seoul metropolitan area where half the South Korean population lives - prompted officials to strengthen social distancing rules that were eased on May 6.

All public facilities - including nightlife spots, religious establishments, museums, theatres and parks - will be closed again in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi province from today for two weeks, said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo.

Companies were also urged to re-introduce flexible working, among other measures.

"We have decided to strengthen all quarantine measures in the metropolitan area for two weeks" till June 14, Mr Park said.

People were also advised to refrain from social gatherings or going to crowded places, including restaurants and bars.

There were no new delays, however, to the phased reopening of schools that is under way. More than two million schoolchildren started returning to class on Wednesday.

"The next two weeks are crucial to prevent the spread of the infection in the metropolitan area," the minister said.

He said the government will be forced to reimpose an all-out social distancing campaign if the country sees more than 50 new cases for at least seven consecutive days.

The 79 new cases took South Korea's tally to 11,344 - the largest increase since 81 cases were announced on April 5 - with 269 deaths linked to the coronavirus.

An outbreak at a warehouse belonging to e-commerce firm Coupang in Bucheon, Gyeonggi province, has seen 69 cases, said the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

About 4,100 workers and visitors to the building are under self-isolation, with more than 80 per cent tested so far, Vice-Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters. "We are very nervous about community infections and we are keeping a close eye on the situation," he said.

Coupang, backed by Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group, said it closed the Bucheon facility on Monday. Yesterday, it said it had also closed a facility in Goyang, in the Seoul suburbs, after an employee there tested positive.

"As soon as the employee's diagnosis was confirmed, Coupang sent home and self-quarantined employees who had contact with the employee," it said in a statement.

The warehouse cluster appears linked to an outbreak that emerged in several Seoul nightclubs and bars early this month, the KCDC said.

South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside mainland China, and while it never imposed a compulsory lockdown, strict social distancing had been widely observed since March. But it appeared to have brought its epidemic under control, thanks to an extensive "trace, test and treat" programme.

The programme was credited with keeping the number of deaths comparatively low in a global pandemic that has now killed more than 357,000 people and infected over 5.8 million worldwide.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2020, with the headline South Korea reimposes strict social distancing rules after spike in coronavirus cases. Subscribe