84% of Citizens Say 'Level 4 Restrictions in 수도권 Should Be Maintained'... 20% Prefer 'Until the End of November'

On the 3rd, 1,202 new COVID-19 cases were reported, marking the fourth consecutive week with daily cases in the thousands. Citizens waiting to be tested visited the screening clinic set up at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the fourth wave of COVID-19 spreads significantly, the public's anxiety and stress about COVID-19 are increasing. Accordingly, the majority of the public holds the opinion that the current high-intensity quarantine measures should be maintained for a long period.

On the 3rd, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the results of the July 'COVID-19 Related Awareness Survey' containing these details.

The Central Disaster Headquarters has been conducting monthly nationwide awareness surveys regularly since March to enhance the effectiveness of quarantine policies based on public perception through opinion polls on social distancing and other quarantine policies.

According to the survey results, regarding the extension of the Level 4 social distancing in the metropolitan area, which is set to end on the 8th, 84.0% supported the extension, while 12.8% opposed it, showing overwhelming support. For the extension period of the current distancing levels, including Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas, 20.5% favored until the end of this month, 25.1% until the end of September, and 20.3% until the end of November. Those who responded that it should end on the 8th accounted for 15.7%, and 10.4% said it should be maintained until the end of COVID-19.

Currently, the authorities are deliberating whether to extend the current social distancing system, which ends on the 8th. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said at a briefing that "It is more accurate to observe the situation from Wednesday to Friday this week and then decide how to adjust the distancing level measures," adding, "Since the decision will be made comprehensively, the announcement timing has not yet been finalized."

As the 'fourth wave' spreads, the proportion of people who feel safe from COVID-19 in Korea has sharply declined. It rose from 34.0% in the April survey to 50.8% in June, surpassing those who felt 'not safe' (47.1%), but in this survey, it dropped to 28.0%, the lowest level recorded since the survey began. Conversely, those who felt unsafe surged to 69.9%, marking the highest level.

The proportion of people feeling stressed due to COVID-19 had been steadily decreasing since the survey started, reaching 78.2% in June, but in this survey, it sharply rose again to 89.6%.

On the 3rd, medical staff are administering vaccines at the vaccination center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The willingness to get vaccinated among the unvaccinated is gradually increasing. In the April survey, only 61.4% of 943 respondents said they would get vaccinated, whereas in this survey, 84.1% of 571 respondents expressed a desire to receive the vaccine. Meanwhile, the proportion of those refusing vaccination decreased to 7.9%.

The reasons for wanting to get vaccinated (multiple responses allowed) showed that 'to prevent family members from getting infected with COVID-19 because of me' accounted for the highest proportion at 76.7%. This was followed by 'concern about COVID-19 infection' (62.1%) and 'to contribute to herd immunity formation' (54.8%).

The reasons for hesitating to get vaccinated (multiple responses allowed) showed that 'concerns about adverse reactions' was the highest at 69.2%. However, this is a significant decrease from the 85.4% recorded in the previous survey. The response 'cannot trust the vaccine's effectiveness' was also reported at 57.1%.

This survey was conducted by Korea Research. It was carried out over three days from the 27th to the 29th of last month, targeting 1,000 adults aged 18 and over nationwide. The confidence level is 95%, with a margin of error of ±3.1%.

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