Authorities "From Next Week, Omicron Close Contacts Quarantine Period Shortened to 10 Days" (Update)

On the 27th, as the morning temperature in Seoul dropped to minus 11 degrees Celsius, continuing the severe cold wave, citizens lined up to get tested at the COVID-19 screening center set up at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The quarantine authorities plan to shorten the isolation period for close contacts of COVID-19 Omicron variant cases from the current 14 days to 10 days starting next week.

On the 28th, Park Young-jun, head of the Epidemiological Investigation Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said in a back briefing, "The isolation period for close contacts related to other variants such as Delta is 10 days, but for Omicron, it has been 14 days due to many unknown factors. However, based on recent analysis results related to Omicron, we have secured data supporting the isolation period and are considering reducing the self-quarantine period to 10 days."

Park explained, "According to the follow-up management results of 107 domestic close contacts related to the Omicron variant, 99.1% of cases were confirmed by the 9th day after the last exposure," adding, "Based on these research results, we plan to change the isolation period for close contacts of Omicron to 10 days, the same as for other variants."

Regarding the timing of implementing the shortened isolation period for Omicron close contacts, Park said, "The implementation date will be organized by the relevant team today and is expected to take effect around next week."

In response to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending shortening the isolation period for COVID-19 confirmed cases and contacts from 10 days to 5 days, Park stated, "The self-quarantine period is determined based on research evidence on the transmissibility of each variant virus to minimize risk and damage. While review is possible depending on changes in evidence and feasibility, we currently lack sufficient evidence, so it will be difficult to immediately adopt the same level as the U.S."

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