Government: "COVID-19 on the Decline... Transmission Rate Falls Below 1"

Yoon Tae-ho, Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Quarantine General Division

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] The government has assessed that despite a slight increase in mobility during the Chuseok holiday, there is no sign of an increase in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

However, considering the COVID-19 incubation period of up to 14 days, the government urged strict adherence to the special Chuseok quarantine rules continuing until the 11th.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) quarantine team, stated at a briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 9th, "Although the mobility of the public increased during the Chuseok holiday, there is still no significant increase in the number of domestic cases."

Yoon explained, "Considering that the number of tests has recovered this week compared to last week when testing decreased due to the holiday, yet the number of cases remains almost the same, we judge that the downward trend in case numbers continues."

Looking at the number of new domestic confirmed cases from September 30, when the Chuseok holiday began, the daily cases have mostly remained in double digits except for September 30 and the 7th.

Yoon said, "Although there are slight fluctuations in the number of infections, we cautiously assess that the overall number of confirmed cases is gradually decreasing and entering a stabilization phase."

Another key indicator for the government is the 'effective reproduction number,' which shows how many people one confirmed case infects. This number falling below 1 indicates suppression, while above 1 indicates spread.

Yoon added, "In addition to the number of confirmed cases, the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes is generally improving slightly. We are also closely monitoring the fact that the effective reproduction number has dropped below 1."

However, he noted, "It is still too early to finalize the assessment considering the incubation period has not fully passed. We will continue to observe the trend and evaluate the impact of the Chuseok holiday."

The government analyzed that many citizens practiced social distancing during the special Chuseok quarantine period.

According to the CDSCH, the number of mobile phone movements in the metropolitan area during the Chuseok holiday weekend of October 3-4 was 29,684,000, slightly down from 33,424,000 during the previous weekend (September 26-27).

Yoon emphasized, "Since the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is unavoidable, the most important task is how to implement effective and sustainable quarantine measures in daily life."

He continued, "Finding an appropriate balance between daily life and quarantine principles, and between individual freedom and social responsibility, is a challenge both the public and government are attempting for the first time. We will have in-depth discussions on adjusting social distancing levels."

Son Young-rae, head of the CDSCH strategic planning team, regarding future quarantine system reforms, said, "While operating social distancing, extreme measures such as business suspensions and closures have caused significant damage to the livelihoods of ordinary people and raised fairness concerns. We are discussing reforming the system to strengthen quarantine rules step-by-step and block infection transmission through voluntary participation rather than uniform suspensions or closures."

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