Yoon Administration's First Quarantine Policy in 'Cautious' Mode... Maintaining 7-Day Isolation Requirement for Confirmed Cases

Decision on Switch to Landing Gear Confirmed on 20th... Concerns Over New Variant Influx

On the 10th, as eased social distancing measures continue, citizens and tourists visiting Myeongdong in Jung-gu, Seoul, are strolling along the streets. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The government has decided to postpone the planned transition to the 'post-Omicron' stabilization phase scheduled for the 23rd and will maintain the 7-day isolation requirement for confirmed cases for the time being. Although the COVID-19 outbreak is showing a declining trend, the spread of Omicron in North Korea remains serious, and the risk of re-spread due to the introduction of new variants into the country has not completely disappeared, leading to concerns that lifting the isolation requirement would be premature.

According to health authorities on the 19th, as the 4-week transition period set after lowering the COVID-19 infectious disease classification to level 2 comes to an end, the government will announce on the 20th whether to move to the stabilization phase of daily life recovery.

Initially, the transition to the stabilization phase was expected to be possible as early as the 23rd, but since late last week, there has been growing support for delaying the transition. At the Infectious Disease Crisis Management Expert Committee meeting held on the 17th, the majority opinion was that it was too early to transition to the stabilization phase. It was reported that the consensus was to delay the transition by about a month and maintain the isolation requirement for confirmed cases until the overall situation is judged to be sufficiently stable, without specifying an extension deadline.

Although the Omicron wave has passed its peak and has been declining for eight consecutive weeks, the fact that 10,000 to 30,000 new cases continue to occur daily remains a concern. The BA.4 and BA.5 variants, which are rapidly spreading in the Republic of South Africa, have been detected domestically, and the BA.2.12.1 variant, which triggered a resurgence in the United States, has also landed in the country, indicating the continuous emergence of new variants.

Additionally, the recent outbreak in North Korea, where more than 230,000 new febrile patients occur daily, has entered a pandemic situation. Considering research that only 30% of all infected individuals show fever symptoms due to Omicron's characteristics, the actual number of confirmed cases in North Korea is estimated to be higher than the statistics indicate.

For these reasons, many argue that considering lifting the isolation requirement without a proper alternative is unreasonable. Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital pointed out, "Even if COVID-19 is downgraded to a level 2 infectious disease, the 8 to 10-day duration remains the same, so telling people not to isolate is an unscientific measure." Professor Choi Jae-wook of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Korea University also expressed concern, saying, "The current Omicron wave is not in a definite declining phase but rather in a lull, and the outbreak cannot yet be considered controlled. The previous government lifted all social distancing measures, and if the isolation requirement is lifted as a reason for stabilization, a resurgence will be inevitable."

However, health authorities are considering continuing to cover hospitalization treatment costs for COVID-19 confirmed cases by the state for the time being, even after moving to the stabilization phase. Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, explained, "Hospitalization treatment can be quite burdensome depending on the patient's severity. The prevailing opinion is that the personal burden portion should be maintained for a certain period, and we are gathering more detailed opinions on whether this support should be in the form of financial aid or covered by health insurance."