[코로나 1년] The 1st and 2nd trend is’quick measures’, the 3rd is’back-up measures’… Shaken K-defense

Enter 2021.01.19 15:00

On the 20th, it has been a year since the first confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Korea occurred. The evaluation of the government’s response to quarantine during the past year of the corona epidemic is divided into before and after the’third epidemic’. In the first and second outbreaks, the spread was prevented early with rapid and breakthrough quarantine measures, but in the third outbreak, it was criticized as a’reverse North Korean measure’.

◇ The first outbreak of Shincheonji Daegu Church is set by diagnostic tests and high intensity distance

The corona’first outbreak’ began on February 18 last year when the 31st confirmed case in Korea occurred at Shincheonji Daegu Church. The 31st confirmed person, thought to be one of several confirmed cases, attended Shincheonji worship twice after symptoms appeared as a result of an epidemiological investigation by the authorities. At that time, about 1,000 people had worshiped together, and the quarantine regulations were not followed.

During the first outbreak, the government quickly conducted intensive diagnostic tests to prevent further spread. On February 22 last year, four days after the first confirmed case of Shincheonji, the government went into full inspection on 9,300 members of the Shincheonji Daegu Church, and all members were self-isolation on the 14th. In addition, on February 26, four days later, a list of 212,000 members of Shincheonji was secured and a total investigation was conducted.

The government’s “social distancing” measures also shed light. When a group infection occurred starting from the Shincheonji Daegu Church, the government implemented’high-intensity social distancing’ on March 22. Religious facilities, indoor sports facilities, and entertainment facilities that are at risk of group infection were restricted, and quarantine measures were also applied, such as taking a rest when sick and keeping a distance of more than 2m.

◇Second fashion that saw the effect of distance again… Focusing on’economic activation’ by unlocking consumption coupons

The’second epidemic’ started about 6 months after the first epidemic. From mid-August, the corona rapidly spread again after the Liberation Day rally, centered on Sarangjeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. The second epidemic, which started in the densely populated metropolitan area, lasted for about a month, but the government’s rapid distancing measures also paid off.

On August 16 last year, one day after the Liberation Day rally, the government raised the social distancing applied in Seoul to the second stage. On the 19th, social distancing in the rest of the metropolitan area, including Incheon, was raised to two stages.

After overcoming the two crises with’K-Defense’, the government began to release the reins of quarantine. As the increase in the number of confirmed cases declined, in early October last year, the national distance stage was adjusted to the first stage, and at the end of October, travel and eating out were encouraged, and domestic support measures were introduced. Subsequently, as a strategy to increase the sustainability of a sustainable corona response, the existing three-stage distance system was reorganized into five stages.

◇We hesitate to raise social distancing, prolong the third epidemic

The problem was the third fashion. The government announced that the third coronavirus epidemic began on November 20 last year. They were hesitant to quarantine such as intensive social distancing for fear of the economic downturn, after the asymptomatic infection spread widely in the community.

As the weather became colder, group infections in daily life such as family and acquaintance meetings and indoor sports facilities continued to bite. Several experts raised their voices that the distance should be raised to the second stage, but the government raised the distance in the metropolitan area to the second stage only on December 1st.

In the situation where the distance should be raised to 2.5 steps, the anomaly of ‘2nd step plus alpha (+α)’ was chosen. Earlier last month, the number of confirmed cases exceeded the standard of 2.5-stage upgrades across the country with 400 to 500 people daily, but hesitated to raise the distance due to economic damage to small and medium-sized merchants.

Eventually, the number of confirmed cases per day exceeded 1,000 every day after a month after the third epidemic began. On December 25, it reached an all-time high of 1,240, and on the 5th of this year, the cumulative domestic corona death number reached 1,000. Another risk factor emerged as a mutant virus originating from Brazil was introduced into the country on the 18th, following the UK and South Africa.

As of 0:00 on the 19th, the number of new coronavirus cases in Korea is 386. Although there are 300 new confirmed patients two days in a row, the government estimates that the third epidemic is not over. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the central defense countermeasures headquarters, appealed on the 18th to comply with the quarantine rules, saying, “Compared to the end of December, when there were 1,000 confirmed cases per day, the scale of the epidemic has declined, but the third outbreak is still in progress.”