ⓒYONHAP News

The government has started enforcing tightened caps on private gatherings for four weeks in order to contain the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.

According to health authorities, starting Monday, up to six people can gather in Seoul, Incheon and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, while up to eight people can gather for private meetings in non-capital areas regardless of their vaccination status.

The previous caps were set at ten in the greater metro area and 12 in non-capital regions.

The COVID-19 pass system, which previously applied to high-risk virus-prone facilities such as indoor gyms and bars, has been extended to most multi-use facilities, including restaurants, cafes, cram schools, internet cafes, concert halls and libraries.

The system requires people to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry. However, it will not be applied to those who go to restaurants and cafes alone, even if they are unvaccinated.  

The government will allow a one-week grace period before fully enforcing the tightened vaccine pass rule.

Starting in February, the system will also apply to teenagers who were born in January 2003 to December 2009.

The government on Thursday urged adolescents to get vaccinated, citing growing infection risks.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong, stressed during a COVID-19 briefing that vaccine efficacy has been confirmed to be high among 12 to 17 year olds with a lower risk of adverse side effects than adults.

She desperately called for students to sign up for vaccinations, citing the continuing loss of education and daycare burden due to the prolonged pandemic. 

According to the KDCA, infections continue to rise among adolescents, increasing from around three-thousand-600 in September to roughly six-thousand-600 last month. 

Of cases involving kids aged 12 to 17 confirmed in the last two weeks, 99-point-eight percent were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Additionally, eleven adolescents have developed severe symptoms since February this year, all of whom were unvaccinated.

Also on Thursday, Korea began to accept overseas vaccination records for all foreign nationals as part of efforts to encourage more people to get booster shots.

Foreign residents can register at a public health center with proof of identification, such as a foreign registration card or passport, and an overseas vaccination certificate. 

Those who register their records will be eligible for booster shots. Additionally, they will receive a vaccine certificate through the COOV app, which allows access to the COVID-19 pass system.

Previously, only foreign nationals who received a quarantine exemption upon arrival were able to register their vaccination records.

Korea recognizes vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, namely those by Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Covaxin, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

The government on Friday decided to shorten the minimum interval between the second and third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for adults to three months. 

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the decision in a government meeting on the coronavirus response at Incheon City Hall.

Kim said that in order to accelerate vaccination, the government has decided to reduce the interval between primary vaccination and a third shot to three months for all adults aged 18 and older. 

Currently, booster shots for adults aged 18 to 59 are given at least five months after the completion of vaccination, while senior citizens aged 60 and older are allowed to receive them at four months. 

Reservations can be made from Monday for those eligible.