"COVID-19 Surge" vs "No Problem" Designation of August 17 as a Temporary Holiday, What Do You Think?

Government Reviews Plan to Designate August 17 as Temporary Holiday
"Concerns Over COVID-19 Resurgence" vs "Reviving the Sluggish Economy"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Seulgi Kim] The government has announced that it is considering designating August 17 as a temporary holiday, sparking ongoing debates. Opinions are divided between those who believe that designating the day as a temporary holiday could trigger a resurgence of COVID-19 and those who argue that it would allow the public, including exhausted medical staff, to rest.

On the 19th, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed relevant ministries to review the possibility of designating August 17 as a temporary holiday during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office.

Prime Minister Chung explained, "To provide some rest time to the mentally and physically exhausted citizens and medical staff and to continue the momentum of domestic demand recovery," adding, "The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has made the economy difficult, and many citizens and medical staff are expressing fatigue. Especially this year, many legal holidays fall on weekends, resulting in fewer total holidays than usual."

If August 17 is designated as a temporary holiday, people will be able to rest for a total of three days, from Saturday, August 15 (Gwangbokjeol, Liberation Day) through the 17th.

Temporary holidays are public holidays designated by the government as needed under Presidential Decree No. 24828, "Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices." They are decided through deliberation and resolution by the State Council as necessary. However, for general companies, workers at companies with 300 or more employees are guaranteed paid holidays under the Labor Standards Act.

Previously, during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015, August 14 was designated as a temporary holiday to help revive the sluggish economy.

Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, debates continue around this discussion. Some argue that designating a temporary holiday would stimulate domestic demand and provide rest to citizens and medical staff exhausted by COVID-19, while others warn that it could trigger a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, similar to the "golden holiday" in early May.

Netizen A stated, "If a four-day holiday is created by designating a temporary holiday, it could trigger a resurgence of COVID-19 infections like in early May," adding, "I oppose the designation of a temporary holiday. It might be acceptable in late autumn or winter, but I oppose it during summer when the frequency of human contact is likely higher."

In fact, after the golden holiday in early May, experts warned of a second wave of COVID-19 in the Seoul metropolitan area due to cluster infections originating from Itaewon clubs, religious small gatherings, and logistics centers such as Coupang. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the CDSCH, diagnosed during a regular briefing on the 22nd of last month, "The first wave in the metropolitan area occurred in March-April, and after a period of decline, a second wave triggered by the May holidays is ongoing."

She further noted, "It is difficult to provide quantified criteria, but a 'pandemic' refers to an explosive outbreak that overwhelms the healthcare system. If the current outbreaks in the metropolitan and Chungcheong regions are not contained and the scale increases, a larger outbreak could occur in the near future."

Medical staff in charge of treating COVID-19 are smiling at the camera. Photo by Yonhap News

However, some argue that designating a temporary holiday would allow medical staff and citizens exhausted by COVID-19 to rest, soothe their minds and bodies, and stimulate the depressed domestic economy.

B (27), an office worker and nurse at a university hospital in Seoul, said, "Since the outbreak of COVID-19, I have never had a proper rest. I want to rest even for a day without worrying about having to work. Although not all medical staff will be able to rest if a temporary holiday is designated, at least some will feel relieved that they can rest."

B added, "If the decision is made to designate a temporary holiday, I hope all public institutions and general companies can rest without exception. This could have positive effects such as stimulating the domestic economy, which has been sluggish due to the summer vacation season."

However, experts have pointed out that during holiday periods, the probability of transmission by asymptomatic infected individuals increases due to crowds at tourist destinations.

Ki Moran, Chair of the COVID-19 Countermeasures Committee at the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine, explained in an interview with MBC Radio's "Lee Seungwon's The World and Us," "People gathering at tourist spots during holidays are not just those they usually meet but people from all over the country."

Regarding the probability of COVID-19 transmission, she expressed concern, saying, "The risk of infection increases, and since people visit restaurants and hotels at tourist spots, close contact is inevitable. If there are asymptomatic infected individuals during this process, the probability of transmission is considerably high."

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