"Capacity Available, Need to Monitor Effectiveness of Measures"... Government Draws Line on Raising to Level 3

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Discussed at Meeting on 27th
Health Authorities Judge Hospital Beds and Epidemiological Investigations 'Manageable'
Likely to Decide After Reviewing Year-End Special Measures Effectiveness by 3rd Next Month

On the morning of the 26th, medical staff are collecting samples at the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up in Seoul Station Plaza.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government will decide on the 27th whether to raise the social distancing level. This comes as the current 2.5-level distancing in the metropolitan area and level 2 in other regions, which have been in effect since the 8th, are set to end on the 28th.

As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to hover around 1,000 daily, there have been ongoing calls to raise the distancing to the highest level. However, there is strong hesitation within the government. With the hospital beds and medical staff hastily increased, there is now some capacity to treat patients, and since the year-end special quarantine measures were just introduced, the government intends to observe a bit longer to see if additional measures will be effective.

If the distancing level is raised above the current level, it will become the highest, level 3. Level 3 distancing is applied nationwide uniformly, making individual adjustments by local governments impossible. The government places the greatest importance on the average number of new domestic infection cases per week when adjusting levels, and this number has already exceeded the level 3 application criterion of '800 to 1,000 or more.' The average daily new domestic cases over the past week (December 20?26) reached 1,017.

Kwon Deok-cheol, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare, second from the right), is visiting Osong Bestian Hospital, designated as a COVID-19 base hospital, on the 26th and talking with officials.

In addition, factors such as the number of patients aged 60 and over, capacity of beds for severe patients, epidemiological investigation capabilities, and status of cluster infections are also considered. In the past week, 2,258 new patients aged 60 or older were reported. The quarantine authorities have identified that out of 665 beds available for severe patients, 98 beds (including general patient beds, as of the 25th) remain available.

In the metropolitan area, until mid-month, there were only one or two beds immediately available for critical patients, making the situation tight. However, by urgently mobilizing beds from large private hospitals, some capacity has been secured on the surface. Nonetheless, about 30% of new confirmed cases have unknown infection routes, making detailed epidemiological investigations as thorough as before practically impossible.

Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a briefing on the 25th, "The important issue is whether the current epidemiological investigation, tracing, and isolation capabilities, along with medical capacity to treat patients stably, can keep up with the pattern of patient occurrence." He added, "We believe that the capability to control infections within the quarantine control network is still being maintained." He further stated, "Although somewhat delayed, medical capacity is catching up to some extent, securing bed capacity and maintaining stable treatment."

On the 25th, a large shopping mall in downtown Seoul was bustling. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Authorities: "Patient and Contact Tracing and Management Capabilities Maintained"
Continuous Expansion Following Private Hospital Bed Mobilization Orders
Decision After Monitoring Year-End Measures’ Effectiveness Until December 3

Since the year-end and New Year special quarantine measures, which have been in effect since the 24th, have been applied for less than a week, there is a view that their effectiveness needs to be observed. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a briefing the previous day, "We are continuously monitoring while implementing the metropolitan area 2.5-level distancing along with the year-end and New Year special quarantine reinforcement measures."

She added, "Although the number of confirmed cases remains around 1,000 and there is no rapid surge, there is a continuous risk of community spread through contacts. Considering this risk along with preparedness and opinions from local governments and ministries, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is continuously discussing and reviewing the distancing level."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 25th.

Level 3 is the highest social distancing level and is expected to have significant ripple effects throughout society and daily life. In addition to existing quarantine rules, dining inside restaurants will be prohibited, and the limit on gathering sizes will be tightened from 10 to 5 people. Both public and private gatherings must be limited to 5 people or fewer, and workplaces will be required to mandate remote work for all employees.

This is why the government is trying to avoid raising the level to 3 at all costs to curb the spread of COVID-19. Currently, damage is mainly concentrated on self-employed and service sectors, but at level 3, production processes will inevitably be affected, and manufacturing is also expected to suffer.

The reduction in citizen movement, i.e., contacts, according to distancing levels has also lessened compared to the past, and the fact that decreased movement is not leading to a reduction in COVID-19 spread is a troubling issue for quarantine authorities. Since mid-last month, the government has raised distancing levels several times preemptively in the metropolitan area and introduced additional quarantine measures, but the overall number of new confirmed cases continues to rise.

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