"Professional Baseball Allowed to Operate Without Spectators, School Reopening to Be as Conservative as Possible" (Update)

Social Distancing Extended Until May 5
Some Guidelines Relaxed Compared to Before

Park Neung-hoo, the 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (left), is briefing on the response status to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the government decided to extend social distancing measures until May 5, it also decided to ease some restrictions, such as allowing outdoor sports including professional baseball to hold games without spectators. This adjustment reflects the opinions of experts and the public who believe it is premature to change existing guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the government plans to assess the risk of infection spread every two weeks and adjust the level of distancing accordingly.

On the 19th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) decided at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun to continue the eased form of social distancing.

◆ "Although targets have been met... risks remain"= Since April 22, the CDSCH has implemented strengthened social distancing for a month, including one extension. As a result, the number of new confirmed cases dropped to a single digit of 8 as of midnight on the day, and the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes fell to 3.3% over the past two weeks. When extending the strengthened social distancing for two weeks on May 5, the government set conditions for easing guidelines, such as daily confirmed cases below 50 and the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes below 5%.

If these targets are reached, the government planned to consider transitioning to daily life quarantine measures that comply with prevention rules while resuming normal life. However, both the government and experts agreed that risk factors still remain.

Park Neung-hoo, First Deputy Head of the CDSCH (Minister of Health and Welfare), explained, "Cases with unclear infection routes are still occurring, and there is concern that the possibility of infection spread due to large-scale public movement, such as the parliamentary elections, may manifest after the 1-2 week incubation period. Considering the current situation where the global pandemic of COVID-19 shows no signs of abating and there are no vaccines or treatments, risk factors still exist."

He added, "When synthesizing public opinion gathered through experts, the Life Quarantine Committee, meetings with 17 local governments, and public surveys, the majority expressed that it is premature to hastily end social distancing and fully transition to life quarantine and daily distancing at this time."

◆ Allowing spectator-free outdoor sports, cautious approach to school reopening= On the other hand, the government decided to adjust some levels considering the accumulated social fatigue due to prolonged strengthened social distancing and the increased difficulties faced by the lower-income class due to economic downturn. First, among public facilities that have been closed, outdoor and dispersed facilities with relatively low risk such as national parks, natural recreation forests, and arboretums will gradually resume operations based on established quarantine rules.

Outdoor sports like professional baseball will be allowed to open under restricted conditions such as games without spectators. Specific plans regarding facilities to be reopened, schedules, and quarantine measures will be established by the relevant ministries and communicated later.

Regarding entertainment facilities, some community sports facilities, academies, and religious facilities, which were previously recommended to suspend operations during the extended strengthened social distancing, the government lowered the level of recommendation to voluntary restraint. A CDSCH official explained, "This is a somewhat eased guideline compared to before, placing more responsibility on facility operators. However, quarantine rules must still be strictly followed, and failure to comply may result in fines similar to previous administrative orders."

Although some criteria have been eased, guidelines related to school reopening for elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as mock exams for third-year high school students, are still under review. Kim Seong-geun, Director of School Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "School reopening is the most conservative area to approach. We will prioritize student safety and decide after consulting infection experts and the CDSCH about the possibility of combining in-person and remote classes." The policy regarding the mock exams scheduled for the 24th will be announced on the 20th.

◆ "Adjust social distancing levels every two weeks"= The CDSCH emphasized that because COVID-19 is highly contagious, it is impossible to completely prevent infection until vaccines and treatments are developed, and small-scale infection outbreaks and declines will continue to repeat until the global pandemic ends. The level of social distancing will inevitably be flexible.

First Deputy Head Park Neung-hoo stated, "The Life Quarantine Committee and CDSCH will comprehensively consider the risk of infection spread and the preparedness for life quarantine to adjust the level of distancing every two weeks. We ask for continued active participation in social distancing through mature civic awareness and cooperation."

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