Seoul cancels New Year bell-ringing ceremony amid surge in COVID-19

A traditional New Year bell-ring ceremony will be cancelled in the South Korean capital of Seoul, as the country has faced yet another spike in COVID-19 cases, a municipal government official said on Sunday.

"Considering the rapid spread of COVID-19, we have to cancel the year-end bell-ringing ceremony," the official of Seoul's government said as quoted by the Yonhap news agency reported.

The annual ceremony, which takes place at Bosingak Pavilion, will be cancelled for the first time since it was established in 1953, after the end of the Korean War.

The media added that additional restrictions were planned to be implemented in the city to prevent public gatherings.

On Friday, the Seoul authorities reduced bus and subway services by 30 per cent after 09:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) to contain the spread of COVID-19.

South Korea has confirmed 631 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, up from the 583 new infections on Saturday, with the total count reaching 37,546, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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