Health Authorities Begin Discussions with Expert Task Force on Criteria for Lifting COVID-19 Quarantine Requirements

Discussion to Begin from the First Week of June

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The quarantine authorities announced that they have formed an expert task force (TF) to discuss the criteria for lifting the COVID-19 isolation requirement.

On the 2nd, Ko Jae-young, head of the Crisis Communication Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "We have formed an expert TF to establish criteria for re-evaluating the isolation requirement," adding, "Starting this week, this TF will discuss the criteria."

Previously, after the government downgraded COVID-19 to a second-class infectious disease, it announced that the isolation requirement would be lifted simultaneously with the transition to the stabilization phase on the 23rd of last month, four weeks later. However, considering that even if the isolation requirement is maintained, a resurgence could begin as early as summer due to waning immunity and the impact of variant inflows, the isolation requirement was extended by four more weeks until the 20th of this month.

The quarantine authorities are expected to set the necessary conditions and criteria for lifting the isolation requirement through TF meetings and begin full-scale discussions.

Although the current COVID-19 epidemic situation is stable, some indicators show a reduced rate of decline, according to the authorities. On this day, Team Leader Ko stated, "Since the peak in March, COVID-19 has shown a stable decline for 10 consecutive weeks, and the number of critically ill patients has decreased by 20-30% weekly, maintaining a stable downward trend. However, the number of deaths and the infection reproduction number have shown a slower rate of decline," adding, "Since trends in critically ill patients and deaths are indicators that gauge the level of human damage caused by COVID-19, we will carefully monitor and assess the risk even during the stable decline phase."

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