South Korea to focus on containing Covid-19 Omicron strain: Prime Minister

South Korea will focus on containing the new Omicron coronavirus strain until the end of the year since it poses an apparent threat, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Monday.

"The threat of the omicron variant is becoming apparent. Although we do not have a clear grasp of the omicron variant, what looks certain is that it is highly contagious," the prime minister said as quoted by Yonhap News Agency.

Kim Boo-kyum expressed the need to carry out thorough checks for arrivals in the country, as well as to monitor interpersonal contacts to identify the Omicron variant at an early stage. He asked people to cooperate with the country's authorities in connection with the decision to strengthen social distancing measures.

The government will also focus on enhancing vaccination campaigns, providing hospital beds and expanding home treatment to ease the current situation, the prime minister said.

"We are trying to secure beds to a level where we can handle 10,000 patients a day. If we settle down a safe at-home treatment system, we can also lessen the burden on our medical response system," he said as quoted by the media.

In November, South Korea tightened restrictions against COVID-19, including reducing the number of participants in private events and restricting the operation of restaurants. The government also established a special task group to combat the spread of the Omicron strain. President Moon Jae-in ordered the authorities to enhance anti-virus measures at the border to prevent the new coronavirus variant from entering the country. In addition, South Korea returned a mandatory 10-day quarantine for all visitors, regardless of their vaccination status.