Government "From Next Month 11, Support for Isolated and Workers Reduced"... Living Expenses Support Only for Those Below 100% Median Income

Paid COVID-19 Leave Also Provided Only to Workers at Companies with Fewer Than 30 Employees
Government Support for Home Treatment "Gradually Reduced"
"Monkeypox Cases Occur, Full Effort to Prevent Further Spread"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the COVID-19 quarantine situation improves, the government will gradually reduce support for isolated individuals and workers starting from the 11th of next month.

On the 24th, Lee Sang-min, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated in the opening remarks of the CDSCH meeting, "According to the stable trend of the quarantine situation, the government aims to promote sustainable quarantine by reforming the financial support system related to isolation," adding, "The revised measures will be implemented from the 11th of next month after public guidance and on-site preparations."

Since the fourth week of March, the number of confirmed cases has steadily decreased, with 7,227 new confirmed cases reported on this day. The number of critically ill patients and deaths is also steadily declining, and the hospital bed occupancy rate continues to remain in the single digits.

Accordingly, the government will first drastically reduce the living expenses support for isolated individuals, which was previously provided regardless of income, limiting it to households with a median income of 100% or less. Additionally, paid leave expenses, which were provided to all workers in small and medium-sized enterprises, will now be given only to workers in companies with fewer than 30 employees, who make up 75% of the total.

Support for home treatment patients will also be reduced. Lee explained, "Treatment costs for hospitalized patients, who bear a relatively high personal burden, will continue to be supported as before," and added, "Support for home treatment patients, who have lower personal expenses, will be gradually reduced by the government."

Furthermore, the government presented management plans for quarantine product waste. In preparation for a resurgence in the second half of the year, the government will, in principle, store quarantine products but has established waste management plans by item in case disposal is unavoidable.

Lee said, "As daily recovery accelerates, concerns about environmental pollution and resource waste are increasing due to the mass disposal and discharge of quarantine products such as transparent partitions and hand sanitizers," adding, "Transparent partitions will have a concentrated discharge period to enable focused collection and recycling, and hand sanitizers will be continuously monitored for discharge volume to prepare for situations where excessive amounts are discharged at once."

Meanwhile, regarding the issuance of an infectious disease crisis alert following the first domestic case of monkeypox, the government emphasized its commitment to fully preventing further spread.

Lee stated, "With the occurrence of a monkeypox patient, the infectious disease crisis alert has been raised to the caution stage," and added, "The government, centered on the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters, will thoroughly manage patient isolation and treatment, and will make every effort to prevent further spread through rapid and thorough epidemiological investigations." He continued, "We will promptly and transparently disclose related information to the public, including the progress of quarantine measures and the status of vaccine and treatment procurement."

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