Even on Hyeonchungil, COVID-19 cases remain below 10,000... Will the 'post-holiday surge' reoccur?

Slight Increase in COVID-19 Cases Following Children's Day Holiday in May

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases showed a clear downward trend during the holiday period, consistently staying below 10,000 per day. However, attention is focused on whether cases will increase after the holidays due to increased mobility, as seen in May.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the 7th was 6,137. Following 9,835 cases on the 5th and 5,022 cases on the 6th, the daily cases remained below 10,000 for three consecutive days. The number on the 6th was the lowest in 139 days.

The steady decrease in confirmed cases is also attributed to a reduction in COVID-19 testing during the holidays, which lasted from the local elections on the 1st through Memorial Day. On the 3rd and 4th, the number of tests conducted at screening clinics was 129,804 and 73,714 respectively, but during the holiday period on the 5th and 6th, it dropped to 21,644 and 19,787.

There is a possibility of an increase in cases in the future due to increased mobility during the holidays, as was the case last month. On May 8th and 9th, during the Children's Day bridge holiday, the downward trend was broken and cases increased compared to the previous week. According to health authorities, nationwide mobility from May 2nd to 8th was recorded at 283.25 million movements, exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.

With the easing of aviation and travel-related restrictions, the number of travelers is expected to steadily increase. On the first day of this holiday, the 4th, the number of passengers at Incheon International Airport reached 40,833, the highest since the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. From the 8th, quarantine exemptions for overseas arrivals will apply regardless of vaccination status or nationality, and restrictions on hourly aircraft arrivals and flight curfews at Incheon Airport will be lifted, further boosting travel demand.

Health authorities currently believe that the easing of holiday and entry restrictions will have minimal impact on the epidemic situation. Ko Jae-young, Crisis Communication Team Leader at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated, "We do not expect a rapid resurgence of infections in a short period due to the holidays," adding, "We anticipate a continued decrease for the time being, with an average daily case count around 20,000, as predicted by many experts."

Regarding the quarantine exemption for overseas arrivals, Son Young-rae, Social Strategy Team Leader at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, said, "There may be some increase in risk due to the lifting of quarantine for arrivals," but explained, "When analyzing cost-benefit, we currently judge that fully lifting quarantine has a much greater positive effect on the national economy than the impact on the epidemic situation."

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