S.Korea shelves plans to ease COVID measures due to high case count, Omicron

A medical worker walks past a screen monitoring coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Bagae Hospital in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Monday it has shelved plans to further relax COVID-19 curbs due to the strain on its healthcare system from rising hospitalisation and death rates as well as the threat posed by the new Omicron variant.

President Moon Jae-in said the crisis had deepened and called for a united response to prevent the variant from entering the country including the mobilisation of more personnel and tightening contact tracing.