South Korea said on Thursday it will impose coronavirus curfews on businesses and limit the size of gatherings due to record infections that forced the government to pause its plan to live with Covid.
After a rapid vaccination program, authorities slowed restrictions last month to help boost the Covid-hit economy, removing limits on how long businesses could stay open.
The number of new daily infections has more than trebled since then, with a record 7,850 cases reported on Wednesday, and authorities have warned that the figure could rise to as many as 20,000 next month.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Thursday that he announced the new curbs because of the fact that we will be able to overcome this critical moment only if we bring the spread under control through strong social distancing measures.
Restaurants, cafes and other nightlife venues will have to close at 9 pm under the new rules, which come into effect on Saturday for an initial two weeks, while cinemas and concert halls will be allowed to operate until 10 pm.
The size of private gatherings will be limited to four people.
The government is warning about the pressure building on the country's healthcare system, and has urged those who are eligible for booster jabs to get them as soon as possible.
More than 80 percent of the South Korean population has been fully vaccineized.
There are not yet released data on how many of the new infections are breakthrough cases among the jabbed.