Capital Region Faces Increased Risk of COVID-19 Resurgence... Government Urges "Refrain from Returning Home and Traveling"

Seoul Metropolitan Area with High Population and Mobility
Reduced Infection Suppression Effectiveness

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The government has requested that people refrain from traveling home or taking trips during the Lunar New Year holiday. This comes as COVID-19 shows signs of spreading again in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at an online regular briefing on the 7th, "Although the third wave, which showed a temporary increase last week, is not currently resurging, the decline has stalled and there is a risk of re-spread. Especially in the Seoul metropolitan area, the risk of re-spread is increasing, showing regional disparities, so residents in the metropolitan area need to be particularly cautious."

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the average daily number of confirmed cases last week (January 31 to February 6) was 354.6, a significant decrease compared to the previous week (January 24 to 30) at 424.0. However, there was a large gap between the metropolitan area (257.6 cases, 72.6%) and non-metropolitan areas (97.0 cases, 27.4%). Compared to the previous week, non-metropolitan cases dropped by about half from 180.4 to 97.0, but metropolitan cases actually increased from 243.6 to 257.6. Among the 326 new locally transmitted cases reported at midnight that day, 265 were from the metropolitan area, accounting for 81.3%.

Son explained, "In the early stages of the third wave, the spread was centered in the metropolitan area, but in December, cases in non-metropolitan areas also increased, lowering the metropolitan area's share to 60-70%. However, currently, non-metropolitan areas are showing a faster and more stable decline, while the metropolitan area's decline has stalled, causing the metropolitan share to rise again."

He added, "Because the metropolitan area has a large population and high population mobility, the effect of suppressing infections is weaker than in non-metropolitan areas. We are closely monitoring whether there will be any changes in the stalled decline in the metropolitan area."

He repeatedly urged residents of the metropolitan area, "Since the situation is unstable and there is a risk of re-spread, please refrain from traveling home or taking trips during the Lunar New Year holiday." He also emphasized to residents in non-metropolitan areas, "We ask for your continued cooperation to prevent a nationwide resurgence caused by the holiday, even in areas where the situation is stabilizing."

Meanwhile, supported by the overall decline in cases, the number of critically ill patients and those aged 60 and over continues to decrease. The number of critically ill patients, which peaked at 411 on the 6th of last month, has steadily decreased to 190 as of that day. The average daily number of confirmed cases in the high-risk group aged 60 and over was 101.0 last week, down 11.6 from 112.6 the previous week.

Regarding infection routes, transmission through 'cluster infections,' which had temporarily increased, is decreasing, while the proportion of infections from 'personal contact' is rising again.

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