As Omicron variant infections increasing, South Korea extended COVID-19 social distancing restrictions for another two weeks on Friday, including a 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants and a six-person limit for private meetings.

The restrictions were supposed to end on Sunday, but Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said they needed to be extended to curb the spread of Omicron because there were concerns that the Lunar New Year break, which ended on Wednesday, may have exacerbated illnesses. "In this terrible situation, slowing the rate of the Omicron's spread, which is headed to its peak day after day, is a priority," he stated during a televised government response meeting.

Over the last two weeks, the number of new daily cases has tripled, although the number of fatalities and serious illnesses in the highly vaccinated country has remained relatively low. South Korea's Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported a daily surge of 27,443 new COVID-19 cases, including 24 new fatalities, on Friday. Nearly 86 percent of the country's 52 million people have had all of their vaccinations, with 53.8 percent receiving booster doses.

To deal with the increase in cases, the government has implemented a new testing system in which only priority groups are subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, while others can receive a rapid antigen test at a clinic for a quicker first diagnosis. 

It also reduced the 10-day compulsory quarantine period for vaccinated persons who test positive to one week, allowing more people with few or no symptoms to be treated at home. Since the outbreak began, South Korea has reported 934,656 COVID-19 cases and 6,836 fatalities.

Afghanistan experiencing "tsunami of hunger"

Worldwide Covid caseload Surpasses 387.5 million, This is the worst-hit Country

At least 13 people killed during US security operation in Syria