Transition Committee to Announce New Government's Quarantine Measures on 27th... Mask Mandate Lift Decision to Be Revealed

With the easing of quarantine guidelines such as the lifting of social distancing, a tasting corner is being operated at a large supermarket in Seoul on the 25th. On this day, the COVID-19 infectious disease classification was downgraded from Level 1 to Level 2. It has been about 2 years and 3 months since it was designated as a Level 1 infectious disease on January 8, 2020. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) is considering maintaining the COVID-19 infectious disease classification at level 2 while imposing additional quarantine conditions. Measures to address COVID-19 aftereffects such as vaccine side effects will also be formalized, and the new government's stance on outdoor mask-wearing will be announced.

According to the PTC on the 26th, Transition Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo will announce the new government's comprehensive quarantine measures, including the promotion plan for the COVID-19 100-day roadmap project, on the 27th. Hong Kyung-hee, deputy spokesperson of the PTC, explained, "Among the five major promotion directions, the four directions related to the health and medical sector and the finalized detailed tasks will be presented as a concrete blueprint."

In particular, the content regarding the lifting of the outdoor mask mandate is expected to be mentioned. Deputy Spokesperson Hong said, "Related content will be included, and the timeline under review, such as D-30 and D-50 days, will also be detailed." On the morning of the same day, Chairman Ahn told reporters on his way to work, "It is not enough to simply lift the mask mandate outdoors; at the same time, measures recommending or mandating mask-wearing when entering buildings must be implemented concurrently."

The government’s policy to downgrade the COVID-19 infectious disease classification from level 1 to level 2 is unlikely to be reversed. The PTC has issued an official statement denying such a possibility, and at a meeting the previous day, considering public inconvenience and social confusion caused by additional classification adjustments, maintaining level 2 with conditional quarantine measures was reportedly discussed. A PTC official also emphasized, "If shortcomings arise, the adjustment of the classification level might take a longer implementation period, but there has been no discussion at the PTC level about upgrading to level 1."

Measures to address COVID-19 aftereffects may also be partially disclosed. This reflects opinions that, despite citizens suffering from aftereffects, national-level surveys and countermeasures have been insufficient. Formalizing these measures in the COVID-19 100-day roadmap is a likely plan. Establishing a compensation system for victims of COVID-19 vaccine side effects is a key pledge of President-elect Yoon Seok-youl. The PTC has reportedly been verifying the scale and cases of damage together with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. However, further discussion is needed on systematizing the scope of compensation by case. Within the PTC, concerns were raised that if the message of "unconditional compensation" is conveyed first, it could potentially disrupt the new government's quarantine system operations.

Mid- to long-term management plans for infectious disease response will also begin. The PTC aims to start a long- and short-term observational study on COVID-19 aftereffects targeting 10,000 children and adolescents in the second half of this year. Research using a confirmed case database (DB) based on big data and studies utilizing big data from the National Health Insurance Service will be conducted in parallel. Plans to discuss whether to include high-risk groups and the elderly in future surveys are also underway.

Additionally, the Special Committee on Livelihood Economy will finalize the compensation plan at a meeting on the 27th. A PTC official stated, "The specific scale or amount related to the supplementary budget will also be included in the final announcement," adding, "The schedule is being coordinated for either the 28th or 29th, when Chairman Ahn will make the announcement personally."

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