Mandatory 7-Day Isolation for Confirmed Cases Extended for 4 Weeks Until Next Month 20 (Comprehensive)

Student Final Exam Participation Allowed... Risk Factors for Transition to Stabilization Phase Remain

In January, medical staff at the Seongnam Medical Center Home Treatment Situation Room in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, conducted non-face-to-face consultations with COVID-19 home treatment patients. / Photo by Joint Press Corps

The government has decided to extend the mandatory 7-day quarantine for COVID-19 confirmed cases for an additional four weeks until the 20th of next month. An exception will be made to allow infected students to take their final exams.

Lee Sang-min, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 20th, "The current scale of the outbreak is manageable, but there are some concerning points," adding, "The current 7-day quarantine obligation for confirmed cases will be maintained, and the situation will be reassessed after four weeks."

A highly transmissible new variant has been detected domestically, raising concerns about reduced vaccine effectiveness and immune evasion, indicating that there are still risk factors that make it premature to transition fully into the post-COVID 'settling phase.'

Deputy Head Lee also said, "Until the reassessment, we will listen to various private experts' opinions and specify reasonable criteria for transitioning quarantine obligations to establish a scientifically grounded quarantine system." After lowering the COVID-19 infectious disease classification from Level 1 to Level 2 on the 25th of last month, the government planned a four-week 'implementation period' and intended to transition to the settling phase, which would lift quarantine obligations for confirmed cases starting from the 23rd of this month.

Once in the settling phase, the quarantine obligation for COVID-19 confirmed cases will be removed as the quarantine and medical system shifts to treating COVID-19 as an actual Level 2 infectious disease. Support such as living expenses, paid leave, and treatment costs for confirmed cases will also end. Over the next four weeks, the government plans to prepare the medical response system by expanding medical institutions for in-person treatment and securing isolation beds for hospitalized patients.

Additionally, the government has established guidelines allowing COVID-19 confirmed and suspected symptomatic students to take their final exams in middle and high schools next month.

While maintaining the quarantine obligation for confirmed cases, this aims to protect the learning rights of infected students. During the final exam period, school arrival and dismissal times will be staggered, and separate exam rooms will be set up for confirmed cases and others. Measures such as maintaining distance between test-takers in exam rooms, safe meal guidance, and separate restroom use will also be implemented. After the exams, professional disinfection by specialized companies and a 10-day observation period for suspected symptoms will be conducted to prevent further spread. A pre-established cooperation system with education offices, public health centers, and fire stations will ensure rapid response to emergencies such as symptom worsening.

Deputy Head Lee said, "We will thoroughly manage the quarantine situation and prepare meticulously for the transition to the post-Omicron settling phase," and added, "We ask for your understanding once again for the delay in the complete transition to the settling phase."

Meanwhile, the decline in new confirmed cases that began in the fourth week of March continued this week, with about 25,000 new cases reported today, marking the lowest Friday count in 15 weeks. The average daily number of confirmed cases over the past week was about 27,000, a decrease of approximately 24% compared to the previous week. The number of critically ill patients remained in the 200s for the second consecutive day, and the intensive care unit bed occupancy rate dropped to 16.0%.

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