정부, 3단계 격상 준비... 국내 코로나19 이틀연속 1천명대

In light of the rapid uptick of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, the government is considering raising the social distancing to level three, the highest possible tier.
However, officials are weary about using their last bullet due to concerns about the dire economic damage it would do, especially since there's no guarantee it would stem the spread in any case.
Choi Won-jong has the details.
The South Korean government is reportedly considering whether to raise the nation's social distancing measures to the highest level.
This as the country has been seeing record-high COVID-19 tallies in recent days.
However, health authorities are taking advice from related-experts before deciding on their next move.
"The government is gathering opinions from related experts including those from the central and local governments as well as the life quarantine committee. It is contemplating the need to raise distancing guidelines."
If the government decides to hike to the highest level of social distancing, more businesses will have to close.
Large retail shops, hairdressers and beauty salons will have to shut.
Only pharmacies and small grocery stores that sell household essentials will be allowed to stay open.
However, guidelines for ski resorts and dining-in at restaurants are still unclear.
On Thursday, South Korea reported 1-thousand-14 new COVID-19 cases, seeing over a thousand new cases for the second day in a row.
Of them, 9-hundred 93 were local infections and 21 were from overseas.
This takes the total number of cases in South Korea to more than 46-thousand.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.