"Metropolitan Area Social Distancing Level 2.5, Decision on Weekend Extension to Be Made" (Update)

On the 2nd, during lunchtime at a fast food restaurant in Seoul where the 'Social Distancing Level 2.5' is in effect, citizens are sitting apart from each other while eating lunch. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea has somewhat eased, the government will decide this weekend whether to suspend the enhanced social distancing measures currently in effect in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at the regular COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 3rd, "We have begun discussions with the Central Disease Control Headquarters while observing the current pattern of patient occurrences and the distribution of cluster infections," adding, "We expect to reach a conclusion around this weekend on whether to extend or end these measures."

Social distancing was raised to level 2 nationwide from the 23rd of last month, expanding from the metropolitan area, and from midnight on the 30th of last month until midnight on the 6th of this month, level 2.5 measures, equivalent to level 3, have been implemented in the metropolitan area. A positive situation prompting consideration of suspension is the decrease in the rapidly increasing number of new confirmed cases. As of midnight today, the number of new domestic confirmed cases was 195, dropping below 200 for the first time in 17 days since the 17th of last month (197 cases). Compared to last week, when health authorities feared new cases could rise to between 800 and 2,000, the spread appears to be slowing down.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, said, "The effect of the public's heightened vigilance and active participation in efforts to block the spread is gradually appearing," and expressed "deep gratitude for this." Since the enhanced social distancing measures were implemented in the metropolitan area, residents' mobility has decreased by about 25% over the past two weeks. According to an analysis of mobile phone movement by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, mobility during the second weekend after the level 2 upgrade (29th?30th) decreased by approximately 25.2% compared to the weekend before the upgrade (15th?16th). The use of public transportation, including buses, subways, and taxis, also dropped by 26.2% (5.11 million rides) compared to the weekend before the distancing upgrade.

Although new cases have decreased, the reduction is not significant, and the rapid increase in severe and critical patients among confirmed cases remains a concern for the government and health authorities. The number of severe and critical patients rose from 12 on the 20th of last month to 154 as of today. The treatment system, including securing hospital beds, is also under emergency pressure. The government plans to add 110 treatment beds for severe patients by the end of this month through designating hospitals dedicated to severe patient care. The Ministry of National Defense will convert eight beds at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital into intensive care beds starting from the 4th and will deploy 68 military doctors and nursing staff to treat critical patients.

Lee Chang-jun, head of the Patient Bed Management Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, emphasized, "The Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine has expressed concerns that more critical patients may occur, so we have formed a task force with the Central Clinical Committee of the National Medical Center and the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine to reanalyze the expected number of critical patients," adding, "We are reclassifying patients daily according to severity and plan to continue efforts such as securing additional beds and transferring patients with lower severity from intensive care units to general wards."

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