"COVID-19 Cumulative Cases Surpass 13 Million" ... Social Distancing Easing Announcement Tomorrow

One in Four People Infected
Government Also Considering Lifting Business Hour Restrictions

On the 31st, a child is receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescents at Mizmedi Hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 began.
Photo by Joint Press Corps

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 13 million. This means that one in every four people in our country has been infected. The government is considering whether to lift restrictions on business hours ahead of the announcement of new 'social distancing' measures.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 31st, as of midnight, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 320,743 from the previous day, bringing the total to 13,095,631. Based on a population of 51.62 million, this exceeds 25%. After the cumulative cases surpassed 10 million on the 23rd, it reached 11 million on the 25th, 12 million on the 28th, and 13 million again three days later.

However, the increase in cases dropped by more than 100,000 compared to the previous day’s 424,641. It is also over 70,000 fewer than the 395,532 cases reported a week ago on the 24th, and about half the number compared to the record high of 621,188 cases two weeks ago on the 17th.

The number of critically ill patients, which occurs with a time lag after the surge in cases, reached a record high again at 1,315 on this day, following 1,301 the previous day. The number of deaths reported yesterday was 375, bringing the total deaths to 16,230, with a cumulative fatality rate of 0.12%.

Although 300,000 to 400,000 new cases continue to be reported daily, the scale has decreased compared to the same days one to two weeks ago. The health authorities believe that the COVID-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant has passed its peak and is now entering a declining phase.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Central Accident Response Headquarters, said, "The number of confirmed cases has been decreasing steadily after peaking two weeks ago. It is important that this downward trend continues and becomes clearer." He added, "The decline is still gradual. There are still many cases, averaging around 300,000 per day, and there is uncertainty due to the spread of the stealth Omicron (BA.2) subvariant."

The new social distancing plan to be announced on the 1st of next month is also attracting attention. Currently, private gatherings are limited to 8 people and business hours are restricted until 11 p.m., but there is a strong possibility these will be eased to 10 people and until midnight. It is also reported that the government is broadly considering completely lifting business hour restrictions.

The government will hold a COVID-19 Recovery Support Committee meeting in the afternoon to hear opinions from health and medical experts, small business and self-employed groups, and related ministries. Taking into account consultations with the Presidential Transition Committee, the government plans to finalize the social distancing revision plan. Shin Yong-hyun, spokesperson for the Transition Committee, said, "If the downward trend of COVID-19 is confirmed, it is appropriate to ease social distancing," and requested health authorities to consider lifting restrictions on business hours in multi-use facilities.

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