Government: "Step-by-step daily recovery may be reviewed from November"

Son Young-rae, Head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The quarantine authorities anticipate that the transition to a "gradual return to daily life" quarantine system will be possible around November. This transition will begin after more than 70% of the entire population has completed COVID-19 vaccination.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at the regular briefing of the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the morning of the 8th, "From November, we expect to be in a situation where we can actively review the gradual daily (recovery) plans."

Son explained the background of this statement, saying, "With the initial expansion of vaccinations, we expect the transmission-blocking effect of vaccinations and the reduction in severe cases and fatality rates to become more pronounced." He added, "By the end of October, 70% of the entire population will have been fully vaccinated," and considering the two-week period for antibody generation after vaccination, he predicted that a full review could begin in November.

However, when asked whether the timing of the quarantine system transition would be aligned with the vaccination rate even if the fourth wave's spread is not easily controlled, as the number of confirmed cases exceeded 2,000 again as of midnight that day, he responded, "The quarantine situation is also very important," and added, "In that regard, quarantine management in September is considered extremely important." He further explained, "This is because the decision to apply daily recovery plans from November coincides with the full effect of vaccination's transmission-blocking and severe case reduction effects."

Meanwhile, the quarantine authorities reaffirmed that unlike overseas "With Corona" policies, the government will pursue a "gradual daily recovery plan," aiming for a phased and incremental transition of the quarantine system.

Son stated, "If the concept of 'With Corona' means rapidly easing or abolishing social distancing, it would be difficult to proceed in that way," and added, "(The quarantine system transition) must be carried out gradually and incrementally."

Regarding the theory of managing COVID-19 at the level of seasonal influenza, which has been raised by some, he dismissed it by saying, "In a recent public perception survey, 62% of the population responded that having fewer than 1,000 deaths annually is an important prerequisite for daily recovery," while "only 21% agreed with the idea of managing it at the level of seasonal influenza."

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