Delta Variant Spread... Military Eases Quarantine Guidelines in Reverse

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Amid the alarming spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), there are concerns that the military's partial relaxation of basic quarantine guidelines may be a hasty decision.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 1st, from this day forward, the mask-wearing mandate will be lifted for those who have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at outdoor sports facilities both inside and outside military bases. Additionally, these individuals will be excluded from the attendance limits for regular religious activities, and if composed solely of fully vaccinated members, choir groups, small gatherings, and praise activities will be permitted.

Furthermore, those who have received a single-dose vaccine and passed two weeks, or those who have completed two doses of a vaccine and passed two weeks, will be exempt from the personnel limits on private gatherings inside and outside the base. They will also be excluded from the capacity restrictions at multi-use public facilities operated by the military, such as the War Memorial and National Cemetery, as well as the base bathhouses.

The military estimates that most officers vaccinated with AstraZeneca will complete their second dose within this month. The Ministry of National Defense completed the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine for 395,677 soldiers under 30 years old between the 7th and 25th of last month, and began the second dose on the 28th. Adding the approximately 120,000 soldiers aged 30 and above who received the first dose of AstraZeneca, the total number of first-dose recipients in the military reaches about 515,000, which is close to 94% of the approximately 550,000 eligible military personnel.

In light of this, some voices criticize the military for hastily relaxing quarantine rules. The number of new confirmed cases, which fluctuated between 300 and 600 daily depending on the number of tests conducted, has surged to the high 700s, nearing 800 cases.

Especially with the more transmissible Indian-origin ‘Delta’ variant showing signs of widespread domestic transmission, the scale of confirmed cases is likely to increase further. Some experts warn that daily confirmed cases could reach the 1,000 range.

In response, the quarantine authorities urged on the 30th, "Even those who have received the first dose should wear masks outdoors if maintaining social distancing is difficult."

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' quarantine team, stated at a regular briefing that "Currently, mask-wearing is not mandatory in sparsely populated outdoor areas where a distance of more than 2 meters is maintained. However, this does not mean that masks are unnecessary. Even outdoors, if it is difficult to maintain a 2-meter distance, we would appreciate it if you wear a mask."

Currently, mask-wearing is mandatory outdoors when it is not possible to maintain a distance of more than 2 meters from others. The quarantine authorities plan to continue enforcing mask-wearing guidelines indoors.

Additionally, the three metropolitan areas in the Seoul Capital Region have decided to postpone the implementation of the new ‘social distancing’ measures by one week. The new distancing system, which the government has prepared for four months, will initially be implemented only in non-metropolitan areas starting from the 1st, resulting in a partial rollout.

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