COVID-19: South Korea extends social distancing measure; says situation 'serious'

South Korea has extended the social distancing measure which was due to end on April 4 by another two weeks until April 19 in an effort to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus. The country is reporting over a 100 cases of infection in a day, from being the second worst-hit country at the time the outbreak spiralled out of China, as per media reports. 
 
In a press briefing, Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun said that he had no choice but to further extend the protocol in order to keep the situation under control. The country largely managed to control the onslaught of cases at the beginning of the outbreak mostly by enacting stern movement restrictions, he added.

Sye-Kyun further added saying that he would keep the containment measure intact for some time. South Korea stands at 10,156 confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus. Over 177 fatalities have been registered so far, according to reports. 

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The situation still remains 'serious'

Since reporting the first case on January 20, South Korea has kept the advisory of the social distance of at least 2 meters throughout the state. It forced all major public facilities to shut to help mitigate the clusters of infection. Local reports suggest that government intensified the drive, about two weeks earlier, and now advised the public to remain indoors until April 19. The church services will also not resume and a large assembly of the crowd is strictly prohibited. 

The government has, time and again, insisted on the effectiveness of movement restriction, stating that decline in the infections due to social distancing "has clearly been confirmed", a state news outlet reported. It said that the measures have been revised as the situation still remains “serious”, and therefore, the distancing measures cannot be subdued. 

The decision came in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun, with other prominent political entities, according to local media reports. 

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