South Korea plans to fully reopen schools nationwide from Nov. The government would expand the use of portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests for COVID-19 in schools in Seoul and neighboring regions, and mobilize more virus-prevention personnel in overcrowded schools, he said. “There is a growing concern as the frequency of new cluster outbreaks has been increasing, centered on educational facilities such as private tuition centers and schools,” Interior and Safety Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said. South Korea has fully vaccinated nearly 90 percent of its adult population but only began inoculating children aged between 12 and 17 in recent weeks, administering just 0.6 percent of the age group with both doses so far. The surge comes as new social distancing rules aimed at a phased return to normal came into effect on Monday as a part of the country’s plan to gradually move toward living with COVID-19 on the back of high vaccination rates. SEOUL: South Korea said on Wednesday it would ramp up COVID-19 testing at schools after a sharp rise of infections among children, weeks ahead of a plan to fully reopen schools nationwide.
