Gangnam fire station, Transit station in Seoul, South Korea

Seoul, Dec 29 South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government on Wednesday agreed on the need to extend the current Covid-19 curbs.The two sides reached the consensus during a meeting on the Covid-19 response, noting that key indicators, such as the operation of ICUs and the numbers of critically ill patients and deaths, have yet to improve, DP spokesperson Rep. Shin Hyun-young said at a press briefing.The party asked, however, that the government consider making minor adjustments to the social distancing measures to minimise damage to specific business sectors, the spokesperson added.The current virus curbs include a maximum private gathering size of four people and a 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. curfew on businesses. The government is expected to announce an update before the end of the scheme on Sunday.Shin said the DP urged the government to look into providing advance compensation to small businesses hurt by the curbs and then settling accounts, citing the time required to complete the deliberation process for compensation, which could take up to five months.Citing the opposition of some parents, the party also asked the government to reconsider its plan to enforce a vaccine pass system for all adolescents starting in February.The system would require teenagers to present proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test when entering libraries, cram schools and other public facilities.The government, meanwhile, said it has secured 90 million doses of vaccines but needs to increase its related budget from the current 3.2 trillion won ($2.7 billion) to prepare for a fourth round of vaccinations.It also reported plans to increase the number of hospital beds from 19,000 to 25,000 and expand its budget for oral Covid-19 pills to treat an additional 400,000 people.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Gangnam Fire StationFOLLOW

Gangnam fire station, Latest News

New Delhi, Jan 2 By 2025, 5G networks are expected to cover one-third of the worlds population, and ... ...

South Korea reported 4,416 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Friday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 635,253. ...

Seoul, Jan 1 South Korea reported 4,416 more cases of Covid-19 as of midnight Friday compared to 24 ... ...

Seoul, Dec 31 Annual year-end bell-ringing ceremonies have been cancelled across South Korea for the second year in ... ...

Seoul, Dec 31 South Korea will extend the current Covid-related restrictions on private gatherings and businesses for another ... ...

Seoul, Dec 30 South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday urged health authorities to come up with sustainable ... ...

Seoul, Dec 30 South Korea has started the construction of a new 3,600-tonne-class military submarine with improved ballistic ... ...

Seoul, Dec 29 South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government on Wednesday agreed on the need ... ...