Will Social Distancing Be Eased This Week?... Some Say It's Premature

New COVID-19 Cases at 54,619... Over 50,000 for Five Consecutive Days
Kim Bu-gyeom: "Will Make Courageous Decision If Quarantine Situation Is Managed"
Jung Eun-kyung: "Too Early to Manage COVID-19 Like Seasonal Flu"

On the 14th, as the spread of COVID-19 continued, people were lining up at the temporary screening clinic in Seoul Plaza. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to exceed 50,000 daily, the government has sent a message that it may ease quarantine measures, drawing attention to whether social distancing rules will be adjusted. The health authorities plan to relax social distancing if the medical system, including the management of critically ill patients, remains stable despite the continued increase in new cases. However, some express concerns that premature easing of quarantine could lead to an overload of the healthcare system.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 14th, as of midnight, 54,619 new COVID-19 cases were reported. Due to a decrease in testing over the holiday, the number of new cases dropped by 1,812 from the previous day's 56,431, but it has remained above 50,000 for five consecutive days. This also marks the highest number of cases reported on a Sunday to date.

Meanwhile, the fatality rate of patients dying from COVID-19 is gradually decreasing. At the end of last year, during the Delta variant surge, up to 109 deaths were reported in a single day, but on this day, 21 deaths were recorded. The cumulative death toll stands at 7,102, with a fatality rate of 0.51%.

Earlier, on the 9th, health authorities announced that after standardizing for age, the fatality rate was analyzed as 0.7% for Delta variant cases and 0.21% for Omicron variant cases, based on 22,703 Omicron and 28,004 Delta confirmed cases.

A notice stating that the restaurant in Sinchon, Seoul will remain closed until the COVID-19 business hour restrictions are lifted is posted. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Given this situation, calls are growing to ease the current social distancing measures, which limit private gatherings to a maximum of six people and restrict operating hours for restaurants and cafes to 9 p.m.

The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise issued a statement on the 4th demanding a shift to "private autonomous responsibility-based quarantine." The federation argued, "The current quarantine policy, which unconditionally restricts the business rights of small business owners through administrative orders, is an extremely administratively convenient idea that unilaterally shifts quarantine responsibility onto small business owners," and insisted, "It is now time to seek a transition to private autonomous responsibility-based quarantine."

They added, "Despite the high-intensity business restrictions implemented nationwide, the number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing due to the spread of variants," and evaluated that "the current social distancing quarantine policy has effectively lost its meaning."

Meanwhile, the government recently conveyed a message that it may ease COVID-19 quarantine measures. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on the morning of the 11th, "It is a very important task to minimize economic and social damage by carefully analyzing and evaluating the quarantine situation and adjusting social distancing," and added, "If we judge that severe cases and deaths are stably maintained and the quarantine situation can be managed to some extent, we will make a courageous decision at any time."

The current distancing measures are set to remain in place until the 20th, but authorities hinted that adjustments could be made before the scheduled end date depending on the situation.

Lee Ki-il, the first controller of the CDSCH, also explained on the same day regarding the Prime Minister's remarks, "Although the distancing system that started on the 7th has about a week left until the 20th, the expression of willingness to ease if possible is clear."

He added, "We will comprehensively review the new system established since last month for Omicron response, diagnostic testing, home treatment system, and the number of severe cases and death rates to make a judgment."

On the 13th, an official at Yuseong Pharmacy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is posting a notice regarding the purchase of COVID-19 self-test kits. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

However, there are many concerns about hasty easing of quarantine measures. Although the Omicron variant, which has become the dominant strain of COVID-19, has lower severity and fatality rates, its transmissibility is so strong that the number of confirmed cases could surge beyond what the quarantine and medical systems can handle. While the severe case rate may decrease as the number of new cases grows, the absolute number of severe patients will inevitably increase.

In this regard, there is a forecast that more than 300,000 cases could be reported in early next month. The National Institute for Mathematical Sciences predicted that daily cases could reach up to 360,000 in early next month. This figure is more than double the 130,000 to 170,000 new cases expected by health authorities at the end of this month.

Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, also stated at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee plenary session on the 7th, "(COVID-19) has much higher transmissibility and more than twice the fatality rate compared to seasonal flu, so it is premature to manage it like seasonal flu."

Experts urge continued caution until the peak of the outbreak passes, based on the efforts endured over the past two years since the emergence of COVID-19.

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine wrote on his Facebook on the 9th, "Our research team’s analysis predicts that the peak of the outbreak will reach over 200,000 daily confirmed cases," and "The peak is expected to last throughout March."

He added, "Although the Omicron variant is not as dangerous as the earlier COVID-19 strains, it is not light enough to be dismissed as just the flu," and "The remaining means to protect oneself from COVID-19 are personal hygiene practices such as wearing masks and handwashing, and vaccination, which does not guarantee complete safety from infection but almost entirely prevents progression to severe illness."

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