Experts Agree with the Purpose of Seoul-style Social Distancing but Consider the Timing Inappropriate

Concerns Over Quarantine Loopholes and Balloon Effect
Divided Opinions on Self-Test Kits
542 New COVID-19 Cases Reported

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Experts continue to debate over Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's plan to establish a ‘Seoul-style social distancing’ manual focused on easing business hours for entertainment facilities. While there is agreement on the need to revise social distancing measures due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic worsening difficulties for self-employed and small business owners, some argue that premature easing amid warnings of a ‘4th wave’ would place a greater burden on quarantine efforts.

According to Seoul City on the 13th, Mayor Oh plans to establish the Seoul-style social distancing manual by next week and coordinate the implementation methods and timing through consultations with the government. The government has extended the current social distancing measures (Level 2 in the metropolitan area and Level 1.5 in non-metropolitan areas) until the 2nd of next month, and with entertainment facilities in the metropolitan area and Busan currently under business suspension, significant repercussions are expected if Seoul independently eases business hours for entertainment venues.

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center expressed concern, stating, "There is no concrete evidence to determine that extending business hours for high-risk facilities such as entertainment pubs will not affect the increase in confirmed cases, so considering only the economic aspect could create gaps in quarantine." He added, "Especially since Seoul and the metropolitan area are currently leading the COVID-19 outbreak, if Seoul eases quarantine measures, a balloon effect could occur in Gyeonggi and Incheon."

Experts agreed on the urgent need for sustainable social distancing revisions but expressed that the timing is inappropriate. Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gil Medical Center said, "The problem is the timing of implementation. If a sudden signal to ease restrictions is sent when entertainment facilities in the metropolitan area and Busan are under gathering bans, it will inevitably have a negative impact on quarantine."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Expectations and concerns are mixed as the introduction of self-testing kits approaches. Mayor Oh stated the day before that he would actively consider introducing self-testing kits, but Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol expressed concern, saying, "The issue is the reliability of the kits. If someone is positive but tests negative, they may continue their activities, remove masks, drink alcohol, and talk, potentially infecting everyone."

Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Mokdong Hospital emphasized, "In a situation where hidden infections in the community are presumed to be high, more proactive testing than currently is necessary to prevent the 4th wave. Even if the accuracy is somewhat lower, it is necessary to use self-testing kits that can quickly confirm positives to prevent transmission by asymptomatic infected individuals, especially among younger people."

On the other hand, Professor Eom pointed out, "While self-testing kits are useful in countries like the United States where confirmed cases are flooding and access to medical institutions is limited, our country is different." Professor Jeong also noted, "Self-testing kits have lower accuracy, and there is a risk that actual confirmed cases judged as false negatives will roam around, spreading the infection."

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, there were 542 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, marking the second consecutive day with numbers in the 500s. By region, the metropolitan area accounted for 335 cases?156 in Seoul, 163 in Gyeonggi, and 16 in Incheon?making up 63.4% of all locally transmitted cases.

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