Prime Minister Kim: "Weekly COVID-19 Cases Turning Downward... Stay Vigilant"

"Omicron Infections Confirmed Nationwide... Likely to Become Dominant Strain Soon"

"New Quarantine Measures to Be Applied Next Week, Careful Analysis and Cautious Decision Expected"

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office on the 29th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on the 29th that it is "too early to be relieved" regarding the recent calming trend in the spread of COVID-19 infections.

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Prime Minister Kim stated, "The intensive care unit bed occupancy rate in the metropolitan area remains high, and the number of critically ill patients exceeds 1,000." He assessed the current situation by saying, "The weekly number of confirmed cases, which had been increasing for eight consecutive weeks, has turned to a downward trend, and the infection reproduction number has dropped below '1.' Above all, with the securing and operation of hospital beds easing, the cases of waiting more than one day for a bed have been completely resolved."

He warned against complacency. He said, "The spread of the Omicron variant is serious both domestically and internationally," adding, "Omicron infections have already been confirmed nationwide in our country. It seems highly likely to become the dominant strain soon." He continued, "Some have made hopeful predictions about Omicron based on its relatively low severity rate, but we must never be complacent," adding, "Even if the hospitalization rate is halved, if the number of confirmed cases doubles, the burden on medical response remains the same." He then said, "Ultimately, the best answer at this time is to thoroughly suppress the spread of Omicron through strict quarantine measures while accelerating vaccination."

Regarding the quarantine measures to be applied from next week, he said, "The government will carefully analyze and evaluate the current situation and decide on the adjustment plan for quarantine measures to be applied from next week," adding, "We will listen attentively to voices from all sectors, including the Recovery Support Committee, and expert opinions, and make a cautious conclusion."

The government will hold a full meeting of the Recovery Support Committee on the same day to discuss the adjustment plan for quarantine measures. The announcement of the adjustment plan is scheduled to be made at the CDSCH meeting on the 31st.

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