New COVID-19 Cases Likely Around 600 Today... Possibility of Raising Social Distancing to Level 2.5 in the Capital Area

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Discusses Strengthening Social Distancing... Non-Capital Areas May Be Raised to Level 2
Seoul City Already 'Shutdown' After 9 PM... Some Measures at Level 2.5 or Higher

On the 25th, the second day of raising social distancing to Level 2 in the metropolitan area, a banner announcing the "Emergency Pause Period for Ten Million Citizens" is hung on the outer wall of the Seoul Library in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea shows no signs of slowing down, the number of new confirmed cases continues to be in the 500-600 range daily.

Despite the government raising the 'social distancing' level to Stage 2 in the metropolitan area and Stage 1.5 in non-metropolitan areas, the spread shows no sign of calming down.

On the afternoon of the 6th, the government will hold a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at the Government Seoul Office to discuss measures to strengthen social distancing.

It is reported that there is strong consideration to raise the metropolitan area's level to Stage 2.5. For non-metropolitan areas, while Stage 1.5 is currently applied with local governments adjusting the intensity, options to raise the baseline to Stage 2 are also being considered as part of a variety of measures under review.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), as of midnight the previous day, 583 new confirmed cases were recorded.

The daily new confirmed cases fluctuated between 400 and 500 for eight consecutive days starting from the 26th of last month, then sharply surged to the 600 range on the 4th, before dropping below 600 again the day before.

However, the number of new confirmed cases announced on the morning of this day is likely to rise back to the 600 range.

According to a mid-day tally by quarantine authorities and local governments including Seoul from midnight to 6 p.m. the previous day, a total of 405 new confirmed cases were reported, but it is known that the number has increased significantly since then.

The government will discuss additional social distancing strengthening measures at the CDSCH meeting at 3 p.m. and announce them during the regular briefing at 4:30 p.m.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the main department in charge, held a Living Quarantine Committee meeting on the 4th to gather expert opinions and also collected feedback from related ministries.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The main expected strengthening measures include a high possibility of raising the metropolitan area's current Stage 2+α measures, scheduled to end on the 7th, to Stage 2.5 instead of simply extending them.

Seoul City, independently from the central government, has already implemented an emergency measure from the previous day to 'shut down' Seoul after 9 p.m. for two weeks until the 18th.

This includes suspending operations of general management facilities such as marts, department stores, movie theaters, reading rooms, study cafes, PC rooms, arcades, and amusement parks after 9 p.m., and reducing public transportation services like buses and subways by 30%.

In non-metropolitan areas, except for some metropolitan and basic local governments currently implementing Stage 2 on their own, Stage 1.5 is applied, but there is also a possibility of uniformly raising it to Stage 2.

Stage 2.5 social distancing is a measure taken when the nationwide COVID-19 outbreak intensifies, and staying at home as much as possible is recommended.

Among the nine types of high-risk facilities, in addition to five types of entertainment facilities, direct sales promotion centers such as door-to-door sales, karaoke rooms, and indoor standing concert halls will be completely closed. Cafes can only offer takeout regardless of business hours, and restaurants can operate normally but only allow takeout and delivery after 9 p.m.

Cafe and restaurant-related measures are the same as those in Stage 2. Regarding this, Seoul City is already operating a stronger 'shutdown after 9 p.m.' measure.

Additionally, at Stage 2.5, gatherings, meetings, and events of 50 or more people are prohibited, so the number of attendees at weddings and funerals is limited to fewer than 50.

Also, PC rooms, movie theaters, arcades, multi-rooms, academies, reading rooms, and study cafes must close after 9 p.m., indoor sports facilities are completely banned from operating, and schools must reduce the number of students attending in person to less than one-third.

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