"Please Wear Your Mask Properly" 'Never Covid Tribe' Anxious About Catching COVID-19

"COVID-19 Resurgence Phase"
'Doubling' Phenomenon Continues for 3 Weeks

On the morning of the 21st, medical staff at the COVID-19 screening clinic of Gangnam-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are guiding citizens who are about to get tested. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As COVID-19 spreads again, anxiety among the 'Never COVID' group is growing. Although the Omicron subvariant has a strong transmission power, with the current outdoor 'no mask' policy, the end of remote work, and more frequent company dinners, there are concerns that people might eventually test positive for COVID-19.

Earlier, the government announced on the 8th that a COVID-19 resurgence had begun. Lee Ki-il, the first chief coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH), stated at a CDSCH meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, "Warning signs of a COVID-19 resurgence are lighting up one by one," adding, "COVID-19 has shifted back into a spreading phase." The average daily number of confirmed cases from the 3rd to the 8th was 15,277, an 86.5% increase compared to 8,193 during the same period last week.

In particular, the infection reproduction number (Rt), which indicates transmissibility, recently rose to 1.58. On the 20th, the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide recorded over 70,000 for the second consecutive day, continuing a doubling trend (cases doubling) for the third week.

Given this situation, companies are watching the government's changes in quarantine measures. Most companies had gradually returned to normal life following the government's announcement to lift social distancing in April. Remote work ended, and business trips and private gatherings were allowed.

However, with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, companies are independently strengthening quarantine measures such as social distancing. Since these are private sector responses rather than government directives, there is no enforcement, and quarantine rules vary by company, making uniform responses difficult.

On the afternoon of the 20th, when the government announced a plan to allow only non-contact visits to nursing hospitals and other facilities from the 25th due to the resurgence of COVID-19, officials were preparing to install a non-contact visitation room at Suwon Veterans Nursing Home (Director Kim Jeong-myeon) in Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim, a company employee in his 30s, said, "Quarantine measures have become lax, and people are not wearing masks properly, so those of us who haven't caught COVID are really anxious." Another company employee in his 40s, Park, said, "People who have had COVID might at least have immunity," adding, "They say this variant is highly transmissible, so I'm really worried."

As with the concerns of those not yet infected with COVID-19, as of midnight on the 20th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in South Korea was about 18.93 million, approximately 37% of the total population, meaning more than 6 out of 10 people have not been infected. According to the health authorities, among confirmed cases in the first week of July, 2.88% were reinfections, and 97% were first infections. The government anticipates that due to the COVID-19 resurgence, daily new cases could reach up to 200,000 as early as mid-September.

Regarding the possibility of reinstating social distancing, the government dismissed it. On the 21st, Lee appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "We are not considering uniformly restricting the number of people or time like before," explaining, "Because we have accumulated experience over two and a half years and know through which routes confirmed cases emerge."

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that as of midnight on the 21st, there were 71,170 confirmed cases. Domestic cases numbered 70,850, and 320 were imported. Among domestic cases, 9,844 (13.9%) were high-risk individuals aged 60 or older, and 15,268 (21.5%) were 18 or younger. The cumulative number of confirmed cases rose to 19,000,908 (including 40,550 imported cases).

With the rapid spread, the government decided to install and operate 55 additional temporary screening clinics in the metropolitan area and 15 in non-metropolitan regions. Additionally, it issued an administrative order to prepare hospital beds for COVID-19 patient treatment for the first time this year. Self-diagnostic kits are now allowed to be purchased at all convenience stores nationwide.

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