The COVID-19 Recovery Support Committee, which advised the Moon Jae-in administration on quarantine measures, will be disbanded

Advisory Role on Social Distancing... Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces Administrative Notice of 'Function Completion'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The 'COVID-19 Daily Recovery Support Committee,' which advised on the adjustment of social distancing measures and the process of returning to normal life during the Moon Jae-in administration, is now moving toward dissolution.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 8th that it had issued an administrative notice on the 7th to abolish the regulations for the establishment and operation of the Daily Recovery Support Committee and is collecting opinions until the 17th.

The ministry cited the "completion of the functions of the Daily Recovery Support Committee, which was responsible for supporting the phased return to normal life" as the reason for the revision.

Launched on October 13 last year, the Daily Recovery Support Committee was a public-private joint advisory body co-chaired by the Prime Minister and a private figure (Choi Jae-chun, Ewha Womans University Distinguished Professor). It was composed of four subcommittees covering economic livelihood, socio-culture, local autonomy and safety, and quarantine and medical care, including quarantine experts as well as various figures from different sectors of society such as finance, education, and self-employed organizations.

At its inception, as the COVID-19 outbreak showed a declining trend, the committee was tasked with drafting a roadmap toward implementing 'With Corona,' including easing social distancing measures. However, when the Omicron variant caused a major outbreak, the committee also provided opinions when the government postponed daily recovery measures or strengthened quarantine measures.

There have been criticisms that the voices of quarantine experts and the medical community were not adequately reflected in the Daily Recovery Support Committee. The Presidential Transition Committee defined the Moon Jae-in administration's quarantine policy as 'political quarantine' and advocated for 'scientific quarantine.'

Given that the Daily Recovery Support Committee played a significant role in the Moon Jae-in administration's daily recovery policy decisions, its dissolution appears to be part of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's efforts to reorganize the new quarantine system. The committee's plenary meetings have not been held even once since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Even when deciding last month to postpone the lifting of mandatory isolation for confirmed cases, opinions from quarantine experts and local government quarantine officials were gathered without holding a plenary meeting of the committee.

Going forward, the role of the Daily Recovery Support Committee is expected to be taken over by an expert task force composed of quarantine and medical professionals. On the 18th of last month, Lee Ki-il, the first chief coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated, "We will promptly establish an expert-centered independent committee to build a governance system that reflects expert decision-making."

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