▲ This photo taken on June 20, 2021, shows a sign posted near the entrance of a bar in Seoul to inform customers that private gatherings of five or more people are not allowed under the current social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) greater Seoul-social distancing

(LEAD) Greater Seoul area to hold off on new social distancing scheme for 1 week

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with greater Seoul area postponing new social distancing scheme; CHANGES slug, headline)

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The greater Seoul area will hold off on implementing the central government's eased social distancing scheme by one week amid a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the region, officials said Wednesday, just hours before the new rules were set to take effect.

The local governments of Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon had initially planned to raise the cap on private gatherings from four to six people and allow restaurants and cafes to extend their opening hours by two hours until midnight, starting Thursday.

The reversal comes after Seoul registered 375 new cases Tuesday, its biggest daily increase this year, and Gyeonggi registered 240 new cases the same day.

The country as a whole reported 794 cases in an over two-month high amid concern over the spread of COVID-19 variants despite nearly 30 percent of the population having received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, 274 additional cases were reported in Seoul, raising the possibility the daily count will again exceed 300, according to the city government.

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