"Stable Quarantine Indicators... COVID-19 Designated Beds Adjusted from 5,800 to 3,900"

Cho Gyu-hong, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 27th. [Photo by Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The government has decided to gradually reduce the number of designated COVID-19 hospital beds. This decision is based on the assessment that quarantine indicators are being maintained stably.

Cho Kyu-hong, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of Health and Welfare, stated in his opening remarks at the CDSCH meeting on the 27th, "Although there was a slight rebound immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday, the quarantine indicators are generally stable."

Deputy Head Cho explained, "As of midnight today, the number of confirmed cases is in the 31,000 range, about a 16% increase compared to last week," but added, "The infection reproduction number has been below 1 for three consecutive weeks, dropping to 0.77, and the utilization rate of severe hospital beds is 20.8%, indicating sufficient capacity."

Reflecting these conditions, the government will first adjust the designated hospital beds from about 5,800 to around 3,900. This scale is capable of responding even if 140,000 new daily confirmed cases occur. Deputy Head Cho emphasized, "We will maintain designated beds in hospitals with excellent treatment capabilities for severe and semi-severe patients to ensure thorough protection of critically ill patients."

Additionally, from the 30th, the indoor mask-wearing mandate will be changed to a recommendation, but mask-wearing is advised as much as possible for high-risk groups or in indoor environments characterized by the '3Cs' (close contact, crowded places, and confined spaces). Deputy Head Cho said, "Local governments are requested to thoroughly guide and inspect facilities where mask-wearing remains mandatory, such as public transportation, hospitals, and infection-vulnerable facilities, and to ensure there are no disruptions during the initial implementation period."

At the CDSCH meeting on the same day, quarantine measures for arrivals from China, which have been in place for nearly a month, were also reviewed. Deputy Head Cho stated, "Although domestic conditions are improving, we cannot completely rule out the possibility of re-spread through overseas inflows," and added, "We will closely monitor the situation and manage it stably."