South Korea extends social distancing rules to stamp out infections amid vaccination drive

FILE PHOTO: Medical workers wait to receive the first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine Covid-19 at the National Medical Center vaccination center in Seoul, South Korea February 27, 2021. Song Kyung-Seok/Pool via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will extend social distancing rules with a ban on private gatherings of more than four people in a bid to stamp out the possibility of a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Friday.

The announcement at a government meeting comes as South Korea has been ramping up its immunisation drive, authorising use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for people aged 65 years and older in a bid to inoculate 70% of its 52 million residents by September.