COVID-19 pandemic spinning out of control in Korea
Members of the public wait to get COVID-19 vaccine shots at a vaccination center in Seoul's Mapo District, Wednesday. Yonhap Gov't to toughen social distancing rules in regions outside SeoulBy Jun Ji-hyeThe COVID-19 pandemic appears to be spinning out of control here, with daily cases hitting a new record high of 1,615, Tuesday, up 465 from the previous day and the biggest daily jump since the coronavirus outbreak reached the country in January last year. Critics said the government is to blame for the worsening COVID-19 situation as it misjudged the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus and announced a hasty decision to ease social distancing rules. They added that this delivered a misleadingly optimistic message to the people despite lingering concerns over a resurgence in infections.The recent spike in new cases has reignited old criticism that the government failed to secure sufficient vaccines on time, and thus was unable to inoculate
