Starting from the 1st of next month, a 5-day isolation will be recommended upon a COVID-19 diagnosis, and the mandatory mask-wearing requirement within clinics and pharmacies will be lifted. However, the government plans to guide schools and workplaces to comply with the recommended isolation period to establish a culture of taking sick leave when unwell.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced at its final meeting on the 31st, one day before the COVID-19 crisis level is downgraded, that it will revise related response guidelines as major quarantine measures such as isolation and mask-wearing are transitioned.
With the shift to recommended isolation measures, notification will be replaced by confirmation of a positive test. Confirmed cases are advised to stay at home during the recommended isolation period (5 days) to block virus transmission and prevent spread. Exceptions allowing outings include hospital or clinic visits, purchasing or receiving medication, attending end-of-life care, funerals, exams, and voting.
However, for hospitalized patients, a 7-day isolation is recommended considering the risk of infection transmission within hospitals. Isolation can be extended up to 20 days based on the patient’s immune status and clinical symptoms as determined by medical staff. Additionally, for severely immunocompromised individuals, further extension of the isolation period is possible based on medical judgment.
Support for out-of-pocket treatment costs for confirmed patients receiving inpatient care in isolation rooms will be maintained. With the abolition of mandatory isolation, the procedure to assign all confirmed patients requiring hospitalization to designated isolation beds will be discontinued.
Temporary screening clinics will be closed, and the recommendation for PCR testing within 3 days after entry will end, eliminating testing support for overseas arrivals.
Clinics and pharmacies will be excluded from facilities where mask-wearing is mandatory.
The current daily reporting system will remain in place until the infectious disease classification is adjusted to level 4. Even after the transition to recommended isolation, support for living expenses and paid leave costs for hospitalized or isolated individuals will continue for the time being. Support criteria and amounts will remain unchanged but will be provided only to those participating in isolation.
Applications for living expense support and paid leave costs must be submitted within 90 days from the day after the isolation ends, as before, and the revised measures will apply to those who receive positive test notification messages from June 1 onward.
The government plans to revise and guide quarantine guidelines for each institution, such as workplaces and schools, to ensure compliance with the 5-day isolation recommendation to foster a culture of taking sick leave when ill.
The government stated that it will steadily implement the crisis level adjustment roadmap until COVID-19 can be managed as a routine infectious disease like influenza, protecting the health of the public.
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