Authorities: "New COVID-19 cases may remain 400-600 until early next month... Need to reduce contacts" (Update)

Central Disease Control Headquarters Regular Briefing
"If Social Distancing Is Well Maintained, the Peak of the Outbreak Could Occur Next Week"

On the 26th, officials affiliated with Nowon-gu, along with their family and acquaintances, are undergoing specimen tests at the COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Nowon-gu Office in Seoul. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, after the first confirmed case was reported on the 24th, 15 employees working in the same department as the confirmed case have subsequently tested positive. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Seo So-jeong and Choi Dae-yeol] Health authorities forecast that if the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, there could be 400 to 600 new confirmed cases daily until early next month. Since multiple sources of infection are emerging simultaneously across the country, they urged people to wear masks properly and minimize contact.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a briefing on the 26th, "The current scale of patient occurrence is expected to continue through this week," adding, "Mathematical predictions indicate that daily new confirmed cases in the range of 400 to 600 may persist until early December."

Previously, social distancing was raised to level 1.5 in the metropolitan area starting from the 19th, and then elevated to level 2 from the 24th, five days later. However, since the effects of social distancing typically appear after about 10 to 14 days, the upward trend is likely to continue for the time being. Nonetheless, if social distancing measures are properly implemented, the rate of increase may slow somewhat from early next week.

It is not yet time to further raise the social distancing level immediately, but if necessary, strong measures will be taken without hesitation. Lee said, "Because we can strengthen and enforce social distancing measures, we believe the epidemic peak may be passed by early or late next week," adding, "The outcome will depend on our efforts."

On the 26th, when the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases exceeded 500, citizens lined up to get tested at the screening clinic of the Gangseo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

"The scope of quarantine management has greatly expanded"
Emphasis on wearing masks and minimizing contact

Authorities stressed that while epidemiological investigations and quarantine measures are taken when cluster infections or patients are found, individuals at the frontline must also wear masks properly and reduce contact. This is because cluster outbreaks are occurring nationwide regardless of time or place, not limited to specific regions, facilities, or groups. They reminded that patients are emerging and cluster infections are spreading in places close to our daily lives.

Lee said, "The routes of infection have diversified, and the age group at the center of the epidemic has lowered to younger, more active age groups," adding, "From a quarantine perspective, this means the scope that needs to be managed has greatly expanded."

He also mentioned the mask effectiveness confirmed in the Guro Yes Hospital cluster outbreak case, and the ease of transmission in crowded and enclosed facilities such as saunas and indoor sports facilities. At Guro Yes Hospital, a confirmed patient contacted 56 people inside the hospital; four inpatients who inadequately wore masks were confirmed positive, but 17 medical staff who consistently wore masks were not infected.

Lee emphasized, "The main focus of health authorities is to block secondary infections by reducing contact rates," adding, "The most important strategy is to prevent patients infected in small-scale outbreaks from becoming sources of infection for other outbreaks." He continued, "The current increase in patients cannot be controlled by epidemiological investigations, isolation of patients and contacts, or compliance with hygiene rules such as mask-wearing alone," and said, "No place where many people gather in enclosed and crowded spaces can be considered safe, so please refrain from visits or gatherings unless absolutely necessary."

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