Cinemas, concert halls and internet cafes may open until 22. The restrictions will go into effect on Saturday and will remain in place until January 2, South Korea’s prime minister announced. Kim Bo Geum.

President Moon Dzie apologized to the residents for re-imposing the strict restrictions and admitted that the government had not prepared for the worst-case scenario where the restrictions were eased, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the president’s press service.

The return of restrictions marks a departure from the “Live with Covid” model announced in November after a 70% full Covid-19 vaccination. population.

At that time, restrictions on the work of gastronomic establishments were lifted and schools returned to work at full capacity. According to official announcements, this was set to be the start of a “return to normal” after the pandemic.

After the restrictions were relaxed, balances of new infections began to increase dramatically, and hospitals were filled with serious illnesses.

This week, there were record values ​​of nearly 8,000 new infections and 94 deaths in a single day, and nearly 1,000 patients in critical condition – the highest number since the start of the pandemic.

Crisis measures are needed to contain the current rapid spread of the virus. If the situation worsens, the daily balance sheets may increase to 10-20 thousand in January. – said the head of the Korea Disease Control Agency (KDCA) Jong Un-kyung.