As the delta variant rages across the country, South Korea is re-implementing severe quarantine requirements, including limiting the number of people who can gather in public or private setting to five, the Associated Press reports.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Thursday that the move, called a “standstill,” was required because the delta variant has spread through the country and caused overcrowding at hospitals, stretching the available resources. “During this period of standstill, the government will reinforce the stability of our medical response capabilities,” said Kim. “We ask our people to respond to these efforts by actively getting vaccinated.”
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 7,622 new cases on Thursday, close to the daily record of 7,850 set a day earlier. By comparison, the United States has recorded more than 125,000 new cases for each of the last two days. South Korea has recorded about 4,500 COVID fatalities since the start of the pandemic; the United States just recorded its 800,000 COVID death.