"Sharp Drop in Confirmed Cases" … Government Begins Discussions on Lifting Social Distancing and Post-Omicron Measures

"Adjustments to Social Distancing Including Mask Mandate Lift"
Severe Cases and Deaths Also Past Peak, Declining

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the current social distancing measures, limited to 'private gatherings of 10 people and business hours until midnight,' are set to end, the government has begun discussions on adjusting the overall social distancing system.

On the 11th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a COVID-19 response briefing, "We have started discussions on how to handle the entire social distancing system, including lifting mask mandates," adding, "We are also reviewing comprehensive measures related to the post-Omicron system."

However, Son explained, "At this point, the review is still at a broad level, and there are many issues to consider, so we are in the stage of gathering opinions from experts and within the government for discussion."

The current social distancing measures are in effect until the 17th. The government plans to announce a relaxed new social distancing adjustment plan around the 15th, and there are expectations that the announced measures may be close to a full lifting of quarantine restrictions.

Prior to this, the meeting of the Daily Recovery Support Committee scheduled for the 13th will be conducted in writing. The government also stated that it is reviewing contingency plans considering the possibility of new variants emerging.

Son said, "No one can predict when, where, and how a new variant will emerge and progress," but added, "We are reviewing preparedness measures with the possibility of a variant that has a high fatality rate, the ability to evade vaccination, and rapid transmissibility in mind."

The government assessed that the recent scale of the outbreak is below the average projections of domestic researchers, and that the number of critically ill patients and deaths has passed its peak and is steadily decreasing. Son said, "It seems we are following the lowest projection within the range presented by researchers for confirmed cases," adding, "The weekly daily average number of confirmed cases is steadily decreasing, which is a positive situation."

Previously, most domestic researchers predicted that as of the 6th, the number of confirmed cases would reach at least 160,000 to a maximum of about 250,000 around the 13th, one week later. However, even considering daily fluctuations, the number of new confirmed cases as of midnight on the 11th was 90,928, already falling below the 100,000 mark.

Son added, "The number of critically ill patients has been decreasing since reaching a peak of 1,315 on the 31st of last month, and the number of deaths is also showing a downward trend after passing the peak period," and "Along with this, the utilization rate of intensive care beds is stable at 60%, and the face-to-face treatment system for confirmed cases at local clinics and hospitals is gradually being established."

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