Extension of 'Social Distancing' vs Transition to 'Everyday Quarantine'

Government Reviews Alternatives for Prolonged COVID-19
Contrasting Scope and Severity of Measures

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As the quarantine authorities plan 'living quarantine' as an alternative to reduce fatigue caused by the prolonged 'social distancing,' attention is focused on the specific implementation plan. While maintaining social distancing to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) for the time being, living quarantine is being promoted in preparation for the prolonged war against COVID-19, so changes are expected in the existing quarantine strategy.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 2nd, living quarantine refers to a harmonious form of quarantine that guarantees daily life and economic activities to some extent. In Korea, sporadic group infections and overseas inflow cases continue to occur, and with confirmed cases rapidly increasing overseas, measures have been prepared in anticipation of the prolonged COVID-19 epidemic. The government will form a social consensus body this week, including medical and quarantine experts, labor, management, and civil society representatives, to prepare detailed guidelines. The guidelines will include practical measures and detailed instructions by target, place, and situation.

◆ Blocking Spread VS Harmony of Daily Life·Economy=High-intensity social distancing focuses on reducing community infections to a level manageable by the current quarantine and healthcare system, whereas living quarantine aims for harmony between daily life and economic activities. Accordingly, differences appear in various aspects such as duration, target, and method.

In terms of duration, high-intensity social distancing is a plan to be intensively implemented for 15 days, with the possibility of extension. Kim Kang-rip, the first general coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said the day before, "There is a need to maintain social distancing for the time being," adding, "It is still quite difficult to ease measures prematurely." Living quarantine will be implemented until the COVID-19 pandemic ends with the development of vaccines and treatments. Since treatment development is expected to take at least several months and vaccine development, which is most important for ending COVID-19, is expected to take more than a year, it is a long-term plan of up to more than one year.

There are also differences in targets and methods. Under high-intensity social distancing, religious, indoor sports, and entertainment facilities are restricted from operating. In contrast, living quarantine recommends maintaining a 1 to 2-meter distance in multi-use facilities and presents specific rules to be observed in daily life such as restaurants and workplaces. Yoon Tae-ho, head of the quarantine team at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, said, "We are preparing detailed guidelines on how to dine not only in small restaurants but in all restaurants."

◆ Legal Measures for Violations VS Social Consensus=The intensity of sanctions also differs. During the high-intensity social distancing period, the government imposes administrative orders and claims for compensation if quarantine guidelines are violated. However, living quarantine is about habituating specific guidelines that can be easily followed in daily life like lifestyle habits. Under high-intensity social distancing, telecommuting at general workplaces and recommendations to postpone promises, meetings, and travel by the public have greatly reduced economic activities. But when transitioning to the living quarantine system, the quarantine level is expected to be eased to a level that does not cause significant disruption to economic activities.

The quarantine authorities explained that the timing of the transition to the living quarantine system cannot be decided solely based on the number of patients. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "The timing of the transition should be judged based on whether new patients are managed within the quarantine network, whether infection routes are identified, and whether the situation is manageable."

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