South Korea's daily coronavirus case numbers have risen to a new high as authorities halt quarantine exemptions for fully vaccinated inbound travellers for two weeks in a bid to fend off the Omicron variant, Reuters reports.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has reported 5,266 cases in the last 24 hours, a day after the daily tally rose above 5,000 for the first time amid concerns over a sharp rise in patients with severe symptoms.

South Korea will require a 10-day quarantine for all inbound travellers for two weeks starting on Friday, halting exemptions given earlier to fully vaccinated people, the KDCA said.

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