South Korea raises Covid restrictions to highest level in Seoul

Previously held up as a model of how to combat pandemic, country was slow to start vaccine rollout and is now reporting record daily cases

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South Korea will raise coronavirus curbs to their highest level yet in the Seoul metropolitan area, prime minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Friday, warning that a record rise in new cases had reached maximum crisis level".

The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules, but it was slow to start its vaccine rollout due to supply shortages.