Anchor: South Korea reported 671 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. Among those, 644 were local transmission with over 70 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area. As concerns linger over a possible fourth wave in the pandemic, the government decided to extend current social distancing measures for three more weeks.
Emma Kalka has the details.

Report: Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced on Friday that the government will extend current social distancing measures, including the ban on gatherings of five or more people. 

Chung made the announcement during a government meeting on COVID-19 responses in Seoul.  

The greater Seoul area will remain under Level Two social distancing, the third highest in the five-tier system, with all other parts of the country under Level One-point-Five. The current restrictions will be in place for three more weeks until May 2.

The government decided to more strictly enforce quarantine rules while keeping the current distancing levels. 

Chung said that the government will ban operations of high-risk bars and clubs in the greater Seoul area and Busan according to Level Two regulations. 

In the Seoul metropolitan area, restaurants, cafes, karaoke rooms and gyms will continue to be allowed to operate until 10 p.m., but the curfew can be readjusted to 9 p.m. at any time in case of a spike in infections.  

Concerns continue to grow that the country could be facing a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as it has languished in the third wave for almost five months.

After peaking at over one-thousand daily cases in December and again in January, numbers dropped into the 400s and then gradually the 300s. However, cases spiked yet again in late March, climbing above 500 and hitting the 700s in less than two weeks.
Emma Kalka, KBS World Radio News.