Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Calls rise to strengthen quarantine measures for greater Seoul area
People stand in line to receive a coronavirus test at a makeshift testing center at an elementary school in Incheon, Tuesday. The health authorities are conducting a mass testing there after 23 students at the school have tested positive for the virus, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea, Israel sign 'vaccine swap'
By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls are rising for the government to strengthen social distancing measures in the greater Seoul area, as the current level is failing to curb rapidly spreading new COVID-19 infections in the region.
Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Incheon were initially under Level 2 distancing under a new four-tier system adopted this month, but the central and local governments decided June 30 not to ease the distancing rules immediately, delaying the adoption of the new system for a week.
The central government will announce, Wednesday, what level will be implemented for the metropolitan area from Thursday.
Amid this situation, people are calling for a tightening of the current measures, as the current ones ― including a ban on gatherings of five or more people, and limits on the operating hours of certain businesses until 10 p.m. ― have failed to bring down the infection rate over the past week.
The average number of confirmed daily cases in the greater Seoul area last week was 546, exceeding the benchmark for Level 3 under the newly devised four-tier social distancing system ― more than a 500 weekly average of new daily infections.
About 80 percent of the new cases recorded by the country are in the metropolitan area, especially among people in their 20s and 30s who are socially active, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Most people in that age group have not yet been vaccinated ― the government plans to begin inoculations for them in August.
The health authorities said further infection clusters are being reported at eateries, cafes, sports facilities and schools mostly among unvaccinated young people.
At an elementary school in Incheon, 23 sixth grade students have tested positive for the virus. KDCA officials are conducting mass testing on 3,000 people including students, teachers, staff at the school and their families.
In response to the alarming level of infections in the capital, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has requested the central government for a swift provision of vaccines to Seoul residents to speed up inoculations among young and middle-aged adults.
“We need more of an allocation of doses to preemptively vaccinate young people who are socially active,” he said at a COVID-19 response meeting led by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Tuesday. “It is urgent to expand vaccinations here in order to prevent the further spread of the virus.”
Meanwhile, the government has announced that it has signed a “swap” deal with Israel, Wednesday, under which Korea will receive 700,000 expiring doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
The same amount of doses will be returned to Israel between September and November.
“This vaccine swap deal is a win-win strategy for both countries as it allows early provision of vaccines for Korea which will be used to speed up vaccinations during the summer vacation season, while enabling an effective use of the doses for Israel,” Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said in a statement.