COVID-19 Social Distancing: How Long Will It Last?

The Landscape Changed by COVID-19
Forecast for the Turning Point of the COVID-19 Situation in the Next 10 Days
Need to Sustain Preventive Measures in Everyday Life

On the 27th, when enhanced quarantine measures for arrivals from the United States began, passengers arriving on a flight from Los Angeles, USA, were exiting the gate at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. People with suspected COVID-19 symptoms must undergo diagnostic testing, and asymptomatic individuals are required to self-quarantine for two weeks. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon, Jung Dong-hoon] The 'social distancing' measures implemented to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have about ten days remaining. How we respond in the next 10 days is likely to be a crucial turning point in this COVID-19 crisis. However, hardly anyone expects our society to return to the pre-COVID-19 situation afterward. It is anticipated that all members of society will have to internalize social distancing in their daily lives, and changed organizational cultures such as 'if you are sick, take a rest' will become established in many places. While opinions among experts differ somewhat regarding the school reopening scheduled for the 6th of next month as initially announced, most emphasize the importance of preventive measures in daily life.

"Concerns of Resurgence After School Reopening"... Continuation of Social Distancing

The government's emphasis on social distancing until the 5th of next month, including the quarantine authorities, was a desperate measure. Although activities across society temporarily halted and everyone suffered damage, concerns about a resurgence were high because patients with unknown sources of infection were appearing throughout local communities and the number of cases imported from overseas was increasing. Based on patterns of past infectious disease outbreaks, it was inevitable that a resurgence would occur after schools reopened. COVID-19 is particularly worrisome because it can be transmitted to others even when symptoms are not present. Typically, infectious diseases tend to start spreading within schools during outbreaks, then extend to households, and finally spread throughout workplaces and society at large.

Professor Choi Eun-hwa of the Department of Pediatrics at Seoul National University College of Medicine (Vice President of the Korean Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society) and others recently emphasized the possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence after school reopening in a statement published in the Journal of the Korean Medical Association. The researchers stated, "If schools, where children interact closely, reopen, a large-scale outbreak could occur," and stressed that "this would significantly reduce the effectiveness of social distancing, which is currently the core of the mitigation strategy."

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "There is no absolute standard for the timing of a full return to normal life, but it should be at a level that everyone can agree on, where the risk of infection is very low or nonexistent," emphasizing that social distancing should be normalized until then. He added, "For schools to reopen, a situation must be created where social distancing is no longer necessary," and noted, "Although the number of confirmed cases is decreasing and more workplaces are lifting work-from-home policies, efforts to reduce workplace infections through telecommuting and flexible work arrangements are still necessary."

On the afternoon of the 26th, a teacher at Gyeonggi Foreign Language High School in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, is conducting online classes due to the delay in the start of the semester caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The Importance of Sustainable Preventive Measures in Daily Life

There are also claims that the level of restrictions should be lowered because the previously dominant suppression-focused quarantine measures are unsustainable. Oh Myung-don, Chair of the Central Clinical Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases, said, "The existing suppression policies have fundamental limitations," and added, "Since eradication is impossible like with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), we must prepare for a prolonged battle." However, considering the ongoing fear of the virus, he emphasized the need for sufficient discussion among members of society based on scientific data.

As the COVID-19 crisis has continued for over two months, causing significant damage across society, there is a common consensus that while preparing to return to normal life, preventive measures in daily life remain important. Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea Guro Hospital said, "The key to current quarantine measures is to find a compromise that allows basic economic activities while wisely overcoming the situation," and added, "Since the medical and quarantine systems are overloaded, support must be strengthened so that frontline sites can be maintained in the mid to long term."

Meanwhile, 91 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on the 27th, bringing the total domestic confirmed cases to 9,332. The number of patients released from isolation after recovery increased by 384, reducing the number of patients currently under treatment to 4,665. This is the first time in 68 days that the number of patients receiving treatment in isolation has fallen below half of the total cumulative confirmed cases. Nine additional deaths were reported, bringing the total death toll to 140.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.