South Koreans in the country's capital, Seoul, will now have to revisit Christmas and New Year plans that consist of gatherings of more than four people.
![Office workers and city government employees queue at a temporary COVID-19 testing centre outside city hall in Seoul [Ed Jones/AFP]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e9dc0d_18fb1ed5e2724894b678041f66f435a2~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_770,h_512,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/e9dc0d_18fb1ed5e2724894b678041f66f435a2~mv2.jpg)
Seoul's city council has announced sweeping new measures to curb the spike in coronavirus infections overwhelming the densely populated city home to over 9 million people.
From Dec 23rd to January 3rd, Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon city will begin imposing tighter restrictions on Christmas and New Year gatherings, capping any get-togethers except weddings and funerals to a maximum of four people.
“We cannot overcome the current crisis without reducing cluster infections that are spreading through private gatherings with families, friends and colleagues,” Seoul’s acting mayor Seo Jung-hyup said at a briefing.
In the last 11 days, South Korea has recorded more than 10,000 infections, putting its current caseload over 50,000. But despite rising case numbers, the country's national government has resisted imposing new nationwide lockdown measures, forcing local governments to take the lead on their own.
On Monday, South Korea recorded 926 new coronavirus cases and a daily record 24 new Covid-19 related deaths, putting their total death count at 698.
Despite South Korea's global perception of being an example of how to tackle the pandemic, some business owners and consumers continue to violate Covid measures on gatherings.
On Friday alone, police and health investigators in Seoul staged late-night crackdowns on 60 businesses, arresting and charging 35 people.
By: Niza Nondo
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