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Current distancing rules to be extended for 2 more weeks: PM

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People wait for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 3. The government has extended current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. AP-Yonhap

The government will extend its current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

"Slowing the pace of Omicron's spread, which is heading to new peaks day after day, is a priority in this difficult circumstance where we cannot accurately estimate the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday period," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting.

The government has been enforcing enhanced social distancing rules since Jan. 17 that allows private gatherings of up to six people with a 9 p.m. curfew imposed on restaurants' and cafes' business hours.

The restrictions were originally supposed to end Sunday, but with the latest decision, they will be enforced through Feb. 20.

Korea's daily virus caseload has been reaching new record highs daily, with the latest total exceeding 20,000 after the Omicron variant became the most dominant strain in the country.

To curb the rise of serious cases, the government also decided to lower the age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 60 to 50 starting Monday.

Kim added that the health authorities are reviewing ways to improve the at-home treatment system to cope with the fast spread of Omicron.

Starting Thursday, the country is allowing hospitals and medical clinics to conduct rapid antigen tests to effectively deal with the Omicron-fueled COVID-19 wave. Kim said 2,300 medical clinics have applied for its new testing regime and 600 have already begun testing.

Under the new system, only those who test positive in rapid antigen tests will be able to receive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in principle. (Yonhap)