Kwon Deok-cheol "Concerns Over Halloween Quarantine Rule Violations... Final Plan for Friday's Return to Normalcy Announcement"

Kwon Deok-cheol, 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare) Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Ahead of 'Halloween Day,' which is just four days away, health authorities have urged the public to comply with quarantine rules as COVID-19 cases are rising again. The phased daily recovery (With Corona) implementation plan, whose draft was announced on the 25th and is now in the finalization stage, is scheduled to be released on the 29th.

Kwon Deok-cheol, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the morning of the 27th, stating, "There is great concern that violations of quarantine rules may frequently occur ahead of this weekend's Halloween Day," and added, "I hope every citizen will take the lead in adhering to quarantine rules to prevent a situation like some foreign countries where confirmed cases surged again during the recovery process." He warned, "The number of confirmed cases, which had been declining for the past three weeks, is showing an increasing trend this week," and "Today, the number of new confirmed cases is expected to approach 2,000."

Furthermore, Deputy Head Kwon said, "The 3rd Daily Recovery Support Committee meeting will be held this afternoon (27th)," and "We plan to propose to the government the outcome called the phased daily recovery implementation plan, which comprehensively organizes the contents and issues discussed so far." He added that after further discussions, "the final implementation plan will be confirmed and announced at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on Friday (29th)."

However, Deputy Head Kwon emphasized, "Even if phased daily recovery begins, three important things remain," urging that personal quarantine rule compliance, participation in vaccination, and the establishment of a stable medical response system must be maintained without relaxing vigilance. He said, "Once phased daily recovery begins, those who have not been vaccinated will be at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection," and "we ask those who are eligible for vaccination but have not yet received it, as well as those eligible for additional doses, to please get vaccinated according to the scheduled timeline."

Additionally, "For the successful stabilization of phased daily recovery, our medical response system must be able to treat confirmed cases steadily," he instructed related ministries and local governments to gradually expand home treatment and refine the implementation system. Along with this, he added, "The number of confirmed cases is expected to increase during the phased daily recovery process, and accordingly, the number of critically ill patients will naturally rise," and "We will prepare an emergency plan to respond to a surge in critically ill patients to ensure stable treatment of patients under any circumstances."

Finally, Deputy Head Kwon said, "Our Republic of Korea is about to take its first step toward phased daily recovery," and "if every citizen continues to comply well with quarantine rules and actively participates in vaccination as they have done so far, I believe that expectations will become reality, and Korea will regain a new normal," urging the public's active participation in the policy.