"Just a Bit of Relief"... Self-Employed Worried About the 'Precarious' With-Corona Policy

New Cases 2,827 'Highest for Sunday'
Seoul Metropolitan Area ICU Bed Occupancy Rate 83.3%
Self-Employed "Worried About Possible Reinstatement of Social Distancing"

On the 21st, citizens visiting Hongdae Street in Mapo-gu, Seoul, are enjoying their time. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Looking at the current situation, it seems like social distancing measures will be reinstated."

As the fourth week of the phased daily recovery (With Corona) begins, the COVID-19 outbreak situation is rapidly worsening. Along with the increase in new confirmed cases, the number of critically ill patients and deaths is also rising, heightening citizens' anxiety.

Previously, the government presented the emergency plan (circuit breaker) criteria for temporarily halting phased daily recovery measures, citing an 'ICU bed occupancy rate of 75% or higher' as an example. In Seoul, the occupancy rate has already far exceeded this threshold, reaching 84.9%, indicating that bed capacity is nearing its limit. Given this situation, self-employed business owners are worried that the With Corona measures might be suspended and restrictions on business hours and gathering sizes could be reimposed.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 22nd, 2,827 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total cumulative confirmed cases to 418,252. This is the highest number ever announced on a Monday.

Among these, the Seoul metropolitan area, where cases are concentrated, is approaching the limit of bed capacity. The ICU bed occupancy rate in the metropolitan area was 83.3% on that day (589 out of 694 beds in use). The number of patients waiting for beds in the metropolitan area is also 907.

As a result, there are forecasts that With Corona might be suspended and the emergency plan activated. Previously, the government had presented an example of implementing an emergency plan to temporarily halt phased daily recovery when the ICU bed occupancy rate exceeds 75%.

In the metropolitan area, the ICU bed occupancy rate is 83.3%, already surpassing the 75% threshold for activating the emergency plan. Nationwide, the rate is 69.5%, indicating that capacity is not sufficient.

A rental notice is posted in front of a commercial building in Wangsimni, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Given this situation, concerns are growing that With Corona might revert to square one. In particular, self-employed business owners, who have suffered significant losses in sales due to the COVID-19 crisis, are worried about the possible reintroduction of high-intensity social distancing measures.

In the largest self-employed community, 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm the Boss), some members are expressing concerns about the escalation of social distancing. One netizen, who has been running a small izakaya in a provincial area for five months, said, "I thought things were getting a bit better with With Corona, but confirmed cases have exceeded 3,000. Is there a chance social distancing will be tightened again? It's frustrating."

Another netizen expressed concern, saying, "It's basically a matter of time before social distancing is reinstated. Many want With Corona to continue, but the whole world is imposing restrictions again, and since the effectiveness of social distancing has been proven, I think it will be reintroduced."

However, some argue that reintroducing social distancing is essential to curb the spread. Kim, a worker in his 20s, said, "Even with vaccinations, confirmed cases are not decreasing. I'm not sure if the vaccine is really effective. The times when confirmed cases clearly decreased were not after vaccinations but rather during high-intensity social distancing." He added, "I understand the feelings of self-employed people, but it's an unavoidable situation. Especially with the year-end approaching, gatherings and appointments will increase, so I hope social distancing measures are strengthened at least until the end of the year."

Meanwhile, European countries that had declared phased daily recovery have also reimposed lockdowns due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Austria, where COVID-19 cases have surged, decided to reintroduce a lockdown policy for 10 days starting from the 22nd (local time). Accordingly, unvaccinated individuals are prohibited from entering indoor public places such as restaurants, cinemas, cafes, and gyms. However, grocery shopping, visiting government offices, commuting, and walks for mental and physical well-being are allowed.

The Netherlands has also implemented strong quarantine measures since the 13th, limiting operating hours of all restaurants and bars to 8 p.m. and closing non-essential stores by 6 p.m. for three weeks.

Meanwhile, health authorities expect the bed turnover situation to improve soon with the expansion of bed capacity. Park Hyang, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team, said at a briefing on the 22nd regarding the over 900 patients waiting for beds in the metropolitan area, "Additional beds are continuously increasing," and "From midweek onwards, as more moderate to severe beds increase, bed turnover will improve."

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