S. Korea to expand testing, shorten quarantine for omicron

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will expand rapid testing and shorten quarantines as it reshapes its pandemic response to deal with a faster-than-expected surge in coronavirus infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. The number of new infections exceeded 7,000 for a third straight day and was near South Korea’s high of 7,848 set in December. Transmissions could further accelerate over the Lunar New Year’s holiday when many people commonly travel. Starting Wednesday, the country will expand the use of rapid antigen tests to detect a larger number of infections sooner. PCR tests will be mostly saved for high-risk groups, like older people and those with existing health conditions.