"Social Distancing Adjustment Plan to Be Finalized and Announced on January 2 Next Year" (Update)

Yoon Tae-ho, Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' Quarantine General Team [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government has decided to finalize and announce the adjustment plan for social distancing, currently at level 2.5 in the Seoul metropolitan area and level 2 in non-metropolitan areas, on January 2 next year.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, said at a regular briefing on COVID-19 on the morning of the 31st, "We discussed the social distancing adjustment plan at today's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting," adding, "Based on this, a final decision will be made and announced at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on January 2."

Yoon explained, "The special measures to strengthen quarantine during the year-end and New Year holidays and the social distancing measures of level 2.5 in the metropolitan area and level 2 in non-metropolitan areas will all end on January 3 next year," and added, "Accordingly, the government is gathering opinions from ministries, local governments, and experts from the Living Quarantine Committee regarding quarantine measures after January 4."

Separately from the social distancing adjustment plan, the government has decided to strengthen quarantine responses for high-risk facilities vulnerable to infection, such as nursing hospitals, nursing facilities, and psychiatric hospitals, starting next year. All workers at related facilities nationwide will be required to undergo COVID-19 diagnostic testing weekly from next year. Elderly care facilities and residential facilities for persons with severe disabilities will also be added to the list of vulnerable facilities and subjected to testing. This measure follows a series of cluster infections recently occurring in high-risk group facilities such as nursing hospitals and nursing facilities.

To detect hidden infections in the community early, the temporary screening clinics in the metropolitan area, established from the 14th until January 3 next year, will have their operation extended for two weeks until January 17.

The government evaluated that the effects of strengthened social distancing are slow but gradually appearing. They cited the fact that the rapidly increasing daily confirmed cases have recently plateaued at around 900 to 1,000 cases over the past two weeks. Son Young-rae, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' strategic planning team, said, "It has been just over a week since the year-end and New Year quarantine measures were implemented, and usually social distancing shows its greatest effect after about 10 days to two weeks," adding, "We hope these effects will become more apparent and lead to a decrease in confirmed cases."