Government Considers Easing Social Distancing to '8 People, 10 PM'... Adjustment Plan to Be Announced on the 18th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The government is reportedly considering easing the current social distancing rules from '6 people and 9 PM' to '8 people and 10 PM' or similar measures.

The government announced on the 15th that it is gathering opinions from various sectors with the goal of announcing adjustments to social distancing measures on the 18th.

On the 17th, the government plans to listen to opinions from various sectors at the Recovery Support Committee meeting and finalize the adjustment plan at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 18th before making an announcement. The current social distancing measures, effective until the 20th, limit private gatherings to a maximum of 6 people and restrict business hours for restaurants and other establishments to 9 PM.

The government is strongly considering expanding the private gathering limit to 8 people and extending business hours to 10 PM, while also reviewing various options such as '6 people and 9 PM,' '8 people and 9 PM,' and '6 people and 10 PM.'

Since self-employed business owners are demanding a complete removal of restrictions on the number of people and operating hours, opinions suggesting the elimination of private gathering limits or extending business hours until midnight are also being discussed.

Since the Omicron variant, which has high transmissibility but a low rate of severe cases, became the dominant strain of COVID-19, the government has continuously hinted at the possibility of easing quarantine measures.

The government has mentioned that it might attempt to restore daily life again by evaluating the epidemic situation without strengthening social distancing measures as much as possible. Furthermore, it has stated that it will consider managing COVID-19 similarly to seasonal influenza.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 11th, "It is also a very important task to minimize economic and social damage by carefully analyzing and evaluating the quarantine situation and adjusting social distancing," adding, "If we determine 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."

On the previous day, appearing on KBS1TV's 'Emergency Diagnosis: Omicron Quarantine Transition, Asking the Prime Minister,' Kim clearly stated, "We will make a judgment between easing the burden on small business owners and self-employed people while not fueling the spread of Omicron."

Considering that the damage to self-employed business owners due to social distancing has continued for over two years, this is interpreted as an indication that the government may ease at least the operating hour restrictions, which are the top priority demands of self-employed business owners, at an early stage.

The government cannot help but consider political and social factors such as the upcoming presidential election.

The QR code-based entry log, which has become virtually ineffective, is expected to be discontinued. This prediction is supported by the government's significant relaxation of epidemiological investigation standards, including the abolition of the system that manages confirmed patients' movement paths based on the location information system (GIS).

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, appeared on KBS Emergency Diagnosis the previous day and said that the government is considering temporarily suspending the use of QR codes, which were used as entry logs at multi-use facilities for epidemiological investigations.

The government has shifted the quarantine medical system to focus on "minimizing severe cases and deaths," reflecting the dominance of the Omicron variant. The transition of PCR testing and home treatment management to focus on high-risk groups such as those aged 60 and over is part of this effort.

There is also a possibility of partially easing the vaccine pass, which has faced strong social resistance and various lawsuits.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said that considering cost-effectiveness, there is a greater need to maintain the vaccine pass than social distancing, but added, "We will continue to review whether partial adjustments to the vaccine pass are necessary while observing the overall restructuring of the quarantine system and the current epidemic situation."

Son explained that the vaccine pass restricts the behavior of about 4% of unvaccinated adults aged 18 and over, so it is more cost-effective than social distancing, which applies to the entire population.

However, the recent increase in severe cases and deaths, which has raised tension in the quarantine situation, is expected to be a variable in adjusting the vaccine pass. As of midnight on the 15th, the number of severe COVID-19 patients was 314, up 8 from the previous day (306).

The number of severe patients had remained in the 200s for 16 days since January 29, when the Omicron variant began to spread significantly in Korea, but rose to the 300s starting the previous day.

The number of deaths, which had been maintained in the 20s to 30s for nearly a month, is also showing signs of increase. As of midnight on this day, the number of new COVID-19 deaths was 61, a threefold increase compared to the previous day (21).

In the early dominance of Omicron, the severity and fatality rates of COVID-19 decreased, and the high vaccination rate including the third dose helped maintain stable numbers of severe cases and deaths.

However, due to the strong transmissibility, the number of confirmed cases has continued to surge, leading to a corresponding increase in severe cases and deaths. As of midnight on this day, the number of new confirmed cases was 57,177, 1.6 times higher than 36,717 on the 8th a week ago, and 3.1 times higher than 18,338 on the 1st two weeks ago.

The government forecasts that daily confirmed cases could reach between 130,000 and 170,000 by the end of this month. Accordingly, there is also a prediction that the number of severe patients could exceed 1,000 again.

The increase in confirmed cases among the elderly also supports the forecast of rising severe cases. The proportion of confirmed cases aged 60 and over remained below 10% until the third and fourth weeks of January and the first week of February but rose to 11.7% last week (second week of February).

The hospital bed situation is currently being managed stably. As of 5 PM the previous day, the nationwide occupancy rate of severe patient beds was 26.8% (702 out of 2,619 beds in use), leaving 73% (1,917 beds) available.

The oral antiviral treatment 'Paxlovid,' which helps prevent severe cases, is being used, and the third dose vaccination is underway. There are even plans for a fourth dose for some high-risk groups such as immunocompromised patients and those in nursing hospitals and facilities, which is hopeful.

While the quarantine authorities agree with easing social distancing measures in line with the characteristics of Omicron, they maintain a cautious stance against a sudden lifting of restrictions on private gatherings all at once.

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