Seoul, Jan 24 (IANS): South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Monday asked people to refrain from travelling during the Lunar New Year holiday, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to spread unabated.

Millions of people usually travel across the country to meet relatives or visit tourist spots during the holiday for Lunar New Year that falls on February 1 this year.

The holiday runs from January 31 to February 2, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Kim called for people to get booster shots if they want to travel during the holiday.

"I earnestly ask you to refrain from visiting your hometown for everyone's safety and health," Kim said.

Earlier in the day, the government said the detection rate of the Omicron variant had reached 50.3 per cent as of last week, meaning it has become the dominant Covid strain in South Korea.

As the daily tally stayed above 7,000 for the third consecutive day on Monday, the authorities are expected to shift to a new medical response system as planned in order to handle the pandemic in a flexible manner.

Under the new system, rapid antigen tests will be introduced at Covid-19 testing centres to produce faster results, while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will be reserved for high-risk groups.

The self-quarantine period for patients will also be shortened from the current 10 days to seven, officials said.