Health authorities will tighten regulations for nursing facility patients going on day or overnight trips amid a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said on Wednesday that starting next Monday, having received four vaccinations or having contracted the virus after two shots will no longer qualify patients for outings.
The new rules specify that those who were vaccinated or have tested positive more than 120 days prior will be required to get an omicron booster shot before leaving the nursing care facilities.
The changing policy also states that those who get a booster shot will be exempt from PCR testing currently being conducted for patients and employees of such high-risk facilities.
Authorities said the average daily caseload during the past week stood at 49-thousand-180, up 15-point-eight percent from a week earlier.
The average daily number of critical cases requiring hospitalization was 349, up 18-point-seven percent on-week, while the average daily number of deaths was 38, 16-point-nine percent higher than last week.