Third wave of COVID-19 in full swing, situation grave: South Korean Health Minister

Following the third wave of coronavirus infections in the West Asian country of South Korea, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo in a briefing stated that the COVID-19 situation in the country was ‘extremely serious,” as per new agency Reuters.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) has been reporting 300 plus COVID-19 cases for the last five days and reported a new high of 330 cases on midnight Sunday as per Reuters report.

After the sharp spike in daily COVID-19 cases Health Minister Neung-hoo stated, “The third wave of COVID-19 outbreaks is increasingly in full swing,” and added, “the situation is extremely serious and grave.”

The Democratic Party of Korea leader added that the outbreak was rapidly spreading due to clusters of infections in the thickly populated capital city of Seoul and it’s metropolitan area, which is home to 52 million people. 

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Following the outbreak, bars, nightclubs were asked to shut shop in the capital city and surrounding areas. Similarly severe restrictions were imposed on religious gatherings and further limitations were put on services of restaurants in order to curb and curtail the third wave of coronavirus infections in the country. 

After Tuesday, the major coffee shops in Seoul and nearby areas would only be allowed to provide takeaways and in-person dining in restaurants will be restricted after 9pm.

Earlier on Monday,  Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun had addressed government officials, stating that a preemptive distancing measure was necessary to cut down on the rapid transmission of the virus , as per local media reports.

Chung stated, “We’re at a critical juncture of facing a large number of infections nationwide.”

On Saturday, officials of KDCA had stated that the third wave could surpass infections incurred in the previous waves, if the country failed to contain the spread, as per a Reuters report.

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South Korea currently has 3762 active cases and since the inception of the pandemic has recorded a total of 30,733 COVID-19 cases. While 26,466 people have recovered from the disease, 505 people have died due to the novel virus that originated in the wet markets of Wuhan.