'Gatherings of 6 people · Business hours until 9 PM' Social distancing extended for 2 weeks... Prime Minister Kim: "Oral treatment expanded to people in their 50s" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on February 4, 2022. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Son Seon-hee] The government has decided to extend the current social distancing measures, which limit private gatherings to a maximum of 6 people and restrict operating hours of multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes to 9 PM, for an additional two weeks. These measures will be in effect from the 7th to the 20th. However, the government left room for further adjustments within the two weeks if it is judged that sufficient control is possible based on the progress of the quarantine situation.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the morning of the 4th at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "Considering the difficulties faced by small business owners and self-employed individuals who have suffered greatly due to the strengthened quarantine measures that have continued for seven weeks since mid-December last year, as well as the public's fatigue, it was not an easy decision to make." He added, "However, the current situation requires 'safe driving'."

Prime Minister Kim explained, "Since it is difficult to accurately estimate the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday, we judged that slowing down the speed of Omicron, which is rapidly approaching its peak day by day, is a priority." He continued, "Only then can we realize our policy goal of minimizing the wave of the outbreak and reducing damage." He appealed, "You may feel frustrated by this decision, but I earnestly ask for the understanding and cooperation of small business owners, self-employed individuals, and the public."

Before the announcement of the extension of social distancing measures on this day, it was reported that some opinions within the government suggested partial easing until the last moment. Although the daily number of new COVID-19 cases has been recording over 20,000 consecutively, the severity and fatality rates remain relatively low. The capacity of secured intensive care unit beds is sufficient, and the distribution of oral antiviral treatments has begun. Considering the characteristics of the Omicron variant, which has high transmissibility but a low rate of severe cases, there were calls to ease social distancing measures.

However, since it is uncertain how much the infection rate will spread during the Lunar New Year holiday, the government appears to have prioritized stable management of the quarantine situation in making its decision. Regarding this, Prime Minister Kim said, "We will focus on executing the Omicron response strategy thoroughly and swiftly over the next two weeks." He added, "However, if it is judged that the quarantine situation can be managed to some extent, we are prepared to make further adjustments even within that period," leaving room for flexibility.

Furthermore, he stated, "Starting next week, the government will expand prescriptions of oral antiviral treatments to those aged 50 and above." He also announced, "We will review various measures to make the home treatment system faster and more thorough in response to Omicron's mobility and will announce these plans early next week."

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