Infectious Disease Advisory Committee: "Stable Quarantine Despite Indoor Mask Adjustments"... Discussion on Timing of Full Lifting

Chairman Jeong Gi-seok [Image source=Yonhap News]

The National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee held its 14th meeting on the 7th to discuss the timing of the full indoor mask mandate lift and other related matters.

During his opening remarks, Committee Chair Jeong Gi-seok stated, "Since the adjustment of the indoor mask-wearing mandate last January, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has been managed very stably," adding, "The government is continuously expanding the scope of daily life recovery, considering the stable quarantine situation and medical response capabilities."

The government plans to announce a detailed roadmap for daily life recovery, including the full lifting of indoor mask mandates and the isolation requirements for confirmed cases, by the end of this month. If the World Health Organization (WHO) lifts the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) around the end of April, the government intends to implement phased easing of quarantine measures accordingly.

According to the advisory committee, the meeting also discussed the direction for promoting mid- to long-term plans for preparedness and response to new infectious disease pandemics, as well as measures to increase the prescription rate of oral antiviral treatments.

Chair Jeong evaluated, "Unlike the overall decline in confirmed cases, the continuous increase in the severity rate and fatality rate remains a concerning situation." He emphasized, "We must also consider ways to increase the prescription rate of essential treatments that reduce the risk of severe illness and death, especially among high-risk groups including the elderly."

The advisory committee pointed out the need to review issues identified during pandemic response based on COVID-19 experience and to prepare mid- to long-term improvement plans to respond to the emergence of new infectious diseases.

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