Prolonging '4th Wave'... Will Family Gatherings Be Possible This Chuseok Holiday?

Total of 64 COVID-19 Deaths in the Past Week... Twice as Many as Early August
"If COVID-19 Infections Increase, Severe Cases and Deaths Will Also Rise After a Delay"

Prime Minister Kim: "Discussing Adjustment of Social Distancing Including Chuseok Prevention Measures... Announcement on Friday"

On the 6th, the government decided to extend the current social distancing measures?Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas?originally scheduled to end on the 8th, for an additional two weeks until the 22nd. During this period, the ban on private gatherings will remain in effect, allowing up to two people to meet after 6 p.m. in the metropolitan area and up to four people in non-metropolitan areas. The streets of Myeongdong were deserted that day.
Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The fourth wave of COVID-19 in South Korea has been prolonged for nearly two months. Along with a large number of confirmed cases, the number of critically ill patients and deaths has noticeably increased, and health authorities analyze that this trend may continue for the time being. With the Chuseok holiday approaching, which is expected to see massive population movement, the authorities' concerns are deepening.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 29th, a total of 64 deaths due to COVID-19 were recorded during the past week (August 23?29). Notably, on the 25th, the daily death toll reached 20, surpassing 20 for the first time since January 14, during the third wave, when 22 deaths were recorded.

Until mid-August, the weekly COVID-19 death toll was about half of the current level. In the last week of July (25 deaths) and the first week of August (23 deaths), the daily average death toll was around 3 to 4, but in the third week of August (59 deaths), the daily average rose to more than 8 deaths.

The number of critically ill patients has also increased. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in South Korea surpassed 400 on the 21st and has remained in the 400s for about a week. This is the first time since January 10 of this year that the number of critically ill patients exceeded 400. During January 6?10, when the third wave was ongoing, the number of critically ill patients also exceeded 400, but recently this period has been longer.

The increase in critically ill patients significantly affects the death toll, so health authorities are closely monitoring the situation. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, explained, "It is important to look at the overall trend rather than daily occurrences of deaths. When the total number of COVID-19 patients increases, critically ill patients increase consecutively, and after a certain time lag, deaths increase." He added, "Since critically ill patients have exceeded 400 since last week, the death toll is expected to steadily rise."

Meanwhile, the government plans to announce special quarantine measures to be applied during the Chuseok holiday period, which is three weeks away. With large-scale population movement expected during the holiday, the measures are likely to include whether family gatherings and visits to nursing hospitals and facilities will be permitted. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the same day, "We must decisively reverse the fourth wave before Chuseok," and added, "The government will discuss social distancing levels and quarantine strategies to be applied from September 6, including the Chuseok holiday quarantine measures this week."

Prime Minister Kim expressed concern, saying, "Although the weekly average number of confirmed cases has slightly decreased since Liberation Day, the situation remains dangerous as daily cases can exceed 2,000 at any time." However, he also hinted at the possibility of easing some quarantine guidelines, saying, "We cannot loosen the reins on quarantine, but we should consider ways to accommodate the people who have endured inconvenience and suffering so far." He added, "We will report to the public this Friday."

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