Government Discusses Revision of Social Distancing Levels... Announcement Expected by the End of This Month

On the 13th, citizens are reading books while keeping their distance at the Starfield COEX Mall Byeolmadang Library in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] The government will announce a revised plan for the social distancing levels in response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) by the end of this month.

On the 20th, Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, stated at a COVID-19 situation briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong, "We are conducting practical discussions regarding the revision of social distancing, aiming to announce it by the end of October," adding, "Not only social distancing but also a comprehensive reorganization of the overall quarantine strategy will be carried out simultaneously."

Currently, social distancing is divided into levels 1 to 3.

Previously, the government announced plans to subdivide the social distancing levels by considering not only the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases but also the number of critically ill patients, fatality rates, and the status of quarantine and medical system responses.

Son said, "We are conducting a mid-term evaluation of the entire (quarantine strategy), including quarantine measures, medical response systems, and social response systems, and are revising and supplementing strategic aspects," and explained, "On the 27th, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., a forum titled 'COVID-19 9 Months: Achievements and Challenges So Far' will be held at the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry."

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