South Korea expects to see daily caseloads hover near 90-thousand on Wednesday

신규확진 '폭증', 오늘 9만명 안팎 예상…18일 거리두기 조정안 We start with the worsening COVID-19 situation. In the span of just 24 hours...we've seen the number of new infections jump significantly in South Korea. We're expecting to see yet another record number of daily COVID-19 cases...this time near the 90-thousand range. For more, our reporter Shin Ye-eun is in the studio. Good morning, Ye-eun. Good morning. Just how high will Wednesday's daily COVID-19 tally be? As you mentioned, we're expecting to see daily COVID-19 infections reach the 90-thousands. Up until 9 pm Tuesday, 85-thousand 114 cases were reported. This was up by roughly 30-thousand from the same time a day ago. Authorities have forecast daily figures to continue to rise exponentially,... due to the spread of Omicron. They said by the end of this month, we could be seeing up to 170-thousand infections per day. Also, with more and more of the senior population getting infected...authorities have raised concerns that we may see the number of critically ill patients and deaths increase as well. On Tuesday, the number of those with serious symptoms was 314...marking the second straight day of this figure being above 300. Currently, a little over 26 percent of ICU beds are occupied...which means that we aren't facing a medical capacity crisis...JUST YET. Do we expect the authorities to still stick with their plan to ease social distancing plans earlier than expected? As of now yes. If you recall...Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum asked authorities to make a decision by this week. The Director General of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, Son Young-rae on Tuesday said that authorities would announce their decision on Friday after hearing from experts. The current social distancing measures... which limit social gatherings to six people, and force restaurants and cafes to close at 9pm... are set to last until February 20th. But, following Friday's announcement...these measures are most likely to change by expanding the social gathering cap from six to eight people. Also allowing restaurants and cafes to operate for one more hour...till 10 pm. Son Young-rae also added that vaccine passes will still be needed at most public facilities for now... because they are an effective way of reducing the number of deaths and critically ill patients. While authorities are reviewing measures to alleviate the burdens of the public...small business owners don't seem to be satisified with what's been discussed so far. That's right. On Tuesday, hundreds of small business owners hit the streets of Gwanghwamun plaza in central Seoul. This was to protest against social distancing measures...specifically the gathering cap and limits on operation hours. They said these restrictions caused major financial difficulties. "Because we can't serve at night, we're living off what we make during lunch time. Customers leave before 7pm due to social distancing measures. We're losing motivation and hope." So on Tuesday, a total of 10 organizations made up of small business owners joined in the protest. Just 2-hundred 99 were at the Gwanghwamun... complying with the restriction that limits the number of people allowed to gather for large-scale protests to just below 3-hundred. This is as long as everyone is fully vaccinated of course. The business owners asked authorities to lift restrictions on business operation hours and to expand the list, of those that can receive the government's COVID-19 relief fund. They specifically asked that businesses with sales of more than 1 billion won... roughly 84-thousand dollars, to also be compensated for their loss from the pandemic. And business owners said if the government does not lift the 9pm curfew...they would bend the rules...and operate 24 hours from next Monday. Apart from easing the distancing measures...South Korea wants to supplement its Omicron-tailored prevention strategy. Tell us more. They have. That's why from today online sales of self-test kits are banned completely. People can only purchase a maximum of FIVE kits at convenience stores and pharmacies. To make sure these places have enough stock... the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said they would distribute enough kits for 6-point-7 million people. They will be supplied to some 51-thousand 400 convenience stores, nationwide. Authorities on Tuesday have also made it possible for those looking after at-home treatment patients to get their medication from any pharmacy. Previously, they had to go to designated COVID-19 pharmacies. Patients that need Paxlovid though... still have to visit one of the 4-hundred 72 designated sites. ... #COVID19 #Coronavirus #SouthKorea 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Arirang News(Twitter) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 News Center(YouTube) :    / newscenter_arirangtv   2022-02-16, 08:00 (KST)