"'From Today, Step 3 Elevation' Is Fake News, Need to Monitor Confirmed Case Trends Further (Update)"

Yoon Tae-ho, Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' Quarantine General Division, is answering reporters' questions after concluding the regular COVID-19 response briefing at the Government Sejong Complex.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government has denied rumors that social distancing measures will be raised from the current Level 2 to Level 3 starting on the 26th, labeling them as 'fake news.' It reiterated its existing stance that the decision to escalate to Level 3 will depend on monitoring the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) quarantine team, stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on COVID-19 that "there has been no official discussion regarding the issuance of Level 3 from the CDSCH's perspective." He added, "'Applying Level 3 starting today' and similar types of fake news undermine the trust between the quarantine authorities and the public." He further requested, "We repeatedly ask that people refrain from spreading such fake news and false information."

He explained, "The official position is to discuss whether to raise the level to 3 while observing the trend of confirmed cases this week." He added, "Although the number of patients exceeded 300 on the 25th, the trend is not as concerning as previously feared, so it is necessary to monitor the situation further." Although the Living Quarantine Committee held a closed meeting regarding adjustments to social distancing the previous day, it is known that opinions among committee members differed on raising the level to 3.

According to the CDSCH, as of the previous day, out of 319 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the metropolitan area, only 19 beds are available. Of the 1,705 beds prepared in infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, only 425 remain, and in Gyeonggi Province alone, 24 beds are vacant. There are eight residential treatment centers for asymptomatic and mild patients with a capacity of 1,744 people, and currently, 618 beds are available.

Yoon said, "According to the Central Clinical Committee's analysis, if about 300 new patients continue to occur daily, up to 130 critical patients will emerge by September 3. We plan to secure 36 additional beds at tertiary hospitals in the metropolitan area by the end of this month and 40 more by the 14th of next month. Patients whose conditions improve will be transferred to moderate and mild care beds to free up ICU beds."

Meanwhile, since social distancing was raised to Level 2 in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas on the 16th and in Incheon on the 19th, mobile phone movement within the metropolitan area decreased by 20% compared to the previous week as of last weekend.

Analysis by the CDSCH of mobile phone movement among metropolitan residents from the 22nd to 23rd of this month showed a 20.1% decrease (6.72 million cases) compared to the previous weekend (15th to 16th), totaling 26.76 million cases.

Yoon emphasized, "Compared to the maximum 40% reduction in movement during the spread in Daegu and Gyeongbuk in February, when citizens voluntarily practiced social distancing, the current reduction is only about half that level," urging the public for active cooperation.

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