South Korea has recorded more than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19, the highest in a week, as officials brace for a potential Chuseok holiday surge later this month, when millions are expected to travel across the country.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it confirmed 2,050 cases in the last 24 hours and four more virus-related fatalities, pushing the cumulative case count to 265,423 and the death toll to 2,334.
All but 36 of the latest infections were locally transmitted.
Among the locally transmitted cases, 77 percent were from the greater Seoul area, home to half of the country's population.
Authorities are concerned that increased movement and lowered vigilance against the virus over the long holiday will lead to another spike in infections spreading from the capital region to non-metropolitan areas.
In a bid to break the vicious cycle, the toughest Level 4 social distancing rules, including caps on private social gatherings are being enforced in Seoul, Incheon and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province until October 3.
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In an interagency COVID response meeting, Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said the next four weeks will be "critical," stressing that everyone must take extra caution as new distancing measures are adopted.
In response to growing pandemic fatigue and economic damage, the government has indicated it's considering a new COVID strategy that balances containment and prevention measures with learning to live with the virus.
South Korea aims to provide at least one shot of a vaccine to 70 percent of the population by the end of September to create herd immunity.
As of Tuesday, 61 percent received their first dose, and only 36 percent fully vaccinated.
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A U.S. lawmaker has called on President Joe Biden to consider providing COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea as a way of improving relations between the two countries.
Yonhap reported Wednesday that according to an informed source, Representative Thomas Suozzi of New York made the request to Biden in a letter, dated September 2.
Suozzi also urged Biden to consider providing additional vaccine support to South Korea, which he noted "still lags behind countries like the United States in its vaccination rate and faces the possibility of running out prior to administering second doses to those who have received initial ones."
The action comes after U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim said Washington may consider providing humanitarian assistance to the North if requested by Pyongyang.
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Medical workers in the Afghan city of Herat say three people were killed when the Taliban opened fire at a protest.
Earlier, the Taliban broke up a demonstration in Kabul by firing into the air.
The BBC's Secunder Kermani was there.
[Reporter]
Taliban fighters initially appeared to let the protesters to march through the city.
And amongst the protesters, some not afraid to directly criticize the group.
"We demand freedom of speech, democracy, national resistance against the Taliban."
Convoys of Taliban vehicles made their way to the site.
Eventually, fighters fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.
Dissent is not something the Taliban is used to. ■
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