Germany, South Korea and other countries where infections are leveling off are loosening restrictions.
In South Korea, the government went further, opting to lift closure advisories on high-risk venues such as churches, bars and sporting facilities. South Korea’s death toll from the coronavirus stands at 236, making its fatality rate one of the lowest among countries with major outbreaks. The number of new infections in South Korea was below 100 for the 19th day in a row on Monday.
“Now that online classes and work-from-home have become a new normal, we have the room to consider balancing infection control and economic activities,” Chung told a governmental meeting Monday. Schools remain shut as classes have gone online, while employees at many businesses still work remotely. Although daily infection numbers have dwindled from hundreds to dozens over the past few weeks, risks from small outbreaks remain, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told a briefing Sunday, citing major public activities recently such as an election last Wednesday.The same fear of new outbreaks compelled the government of New Zealand on Monday to extend its strict lockdown — which was to end at 11:59 p.m.
“I couldn’t feel prouder of the start we have made together,” she said in a televised news conference. “But I also feel a huge responsibility to ensure that we do not lose any of the gains we have made, either,” she added, underscoring the difficult choices that governments around the world are now facing.Anna Fifield in Havelock North, New Zealand, and Min Joo Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
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