Decision on Extension of Social Distancing to Be Made on the 6th... Authorities Cautious Amid Spread, Plateau, or Decline?

On the 4th, with 1,725 new COVID-19 cases reported, returning to the 1,700 range after five days, citizens waiting to be tested at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The current social distancing adjustment plan of Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas, which ends on the 8th, will be announced on the 6th. As the daily new confirmed cases continue to decrease compared to the same day of the previous week, authorities are taking a cautious stance, considering various measures such as extension or 'plus alpha (+α)'.

Lee Ki-il, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare), said, "There are 1,664 domestic cases today," adding, "Last Wednesday (the 28th of last month) there were 1,822 cases, and the Wednesday before that (the 21st of last month) 1,725 cases, making this the lowest figure in three weeks, so it can be seen as a stagnation period." The infection reproduction number (rT), a kind of spread indicator showing how many other confirmed cases one confirmed case generates, is currently 1.04, slightly down from 1.09 the previous week.

However, he also expressed the view that "cases are decreasing in the metropolitan area but increasing in non-metropolitan areas," making it difficult to say that it has fully entered a stagnation or decline phase. On Wednesdays, the number of domestic confirmed cases in the metropolitan area over the past three weeks was 1,175 → 1,211 → 1,036, showing four-digit figures for three consecutive weeks, but the upward trend has somewhat eased. On the other hand, non-metropolitan areas recorded 550 → 611 → 628 cases, the highest since the 4th wave of the pandemic began, indicating that the spread is still ongoing.

The government plans to finalize and announce the social distancing adjustment plan to be applied from the 9th by gathering the flow of confirmed cases this week and opinions from local governments and experts on the 6th. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on the day, "We will closely monitor the trend for another day or two and decide on the social distancing level to be applied from next week at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 6th." He added, "We have implemented strong quarantine measures nationwide over the past month, and we need to review whether there are any areas to improve in terms of quarantine effectiveness."

Prime Minister Kim also said, "Especially, the rule that prohibits meeting more than two people after 6 p.m. is actually too harsh for self-employed people," raising speculation that the 'ban on private gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m.' applied in the metropolitan area Level 4 from next week might be eased. However, the quarantine authorities denied this view.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "Because the difficulties of self-employed and small business owners are very great, we want to reverse the current spread of the epidemic as soon as possible so that such measures are no longer necessary," adding, "There are no plans to fully change the rules on private gatherings, and there will be no changes to the current Level 4 system's ban on gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m."