Distancing Level Adjustment Announcement Possibly on the 26th... "Current Situation Is Not Stable"

Son Young-rae, Head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the government closely monitors the trend of COVID-19 confirmed cases, it plans to decide as early as the 26th whether to adjust the social distancing levels and quarantine rules.

On the 23rd, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), said in a COVID-19 situation briefing that they are "considering the 26th or 27th" for the adjustment plan regarding social distancing and quarantine rules, adding, "We will organize this part and announce the schedule precisely during the regular briefing on the 24th." He explained, "Usually, adjustments are made for about two weeks," and "the decision will be made through discussions at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters."

Currently, the social distancing levels are set at Level 2 in the metropolitan area and Level 1.5 in non-metropolitan areas, which will be applied until the 28th. The government plans to announce adjustments to the social distancing levels effective from next month as early as the 26th. There is also keen interest in whether other quarantine rules currently in place, such as the ban on private gatherings of five or more people, will be adjusted.

In addition to these short-term adjustments to social distancing levels, the government is preparing a fundamental reform of the social distancing system. Son said, "We are working internally on a draft of the reform plan and gathering various opinions," adding, "The first discussion was held at the Living Quarantine Committee, and we are collecting feedback on basic quarantine rules and stepwise adjustment details from related ministries, local governments, and associations in the self-employed and small business sectors through internal government discussions."

Regarding the specific announcement timing, Son stated, "Originally, we planned to announce it around this week, but we decided to take more time to review calmly and gather various opinions before making it public," adding, "The timing of the draft announcement is currently unclear." This seems to reflect the view that the current quarantine situation has not stabilized.

In fact, although the government maintained daily new confirmed cases in the 300s for two consecutive days on the 22nd and 23rd, it expects a high possibility of an increase again. Son said, "Up to today, the decrease in confirmed cases is considered to be due to reduced testing over the weekend," adding, "From tomorrow, cases are expected to increase slightly, and we need to observe how the increasing trend develops until the 26th."

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the CDSCH Quarantine General Division, also explained, "We see the past month as a 'plateau period,' where cases neither clearly increase nor decrease." He added, "We are continuously considering measures to turn the trend into a decline," and "This week is an important turning point as social distancing adjustments will be made, and it will be about a week since the Lunar New Year holiday ended, so the impact of that may appear. We judge this week’s situation as a crucial milestone."