Corona 19 new confirmed daily for two days in a row, 600 units
Group infections, such as factories, during the Lunar New Year holidays
As the distance eases, crowds gather at the club
Quarantine authorities “Reorganization of distance… Review of upward adjustment of quarantine rules”
Amid the outbreak of a COVID-19 outbreak at a plastic factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, workers are waiting in line for Corona 19 testing at Jingwan Industrial Complex in Jingeon-eup on the 17th. Photo = Yonhap News
[아시아경제 김영은 기자] The number of new corona19 confirmed daily in Korea rose to 600 again. As the number of confirmed cases increased after the recent government eased the distancing stage and concerns about reproliferation became a reality, some point out that the quarantine guidelines should be reinforced.
The third epidemic of Corona 19, which started around the metropolitan area since the end of last year, has slowed down this month, but sporadic group infections occurred across the country right after the Lunar New Year holiday, showing a re-proliferation pattern. According to the Central Defense Countermeasure Headquarters (Bang Daebon), the number of new corona19 confirmed cases increased by 621 as of 0 o’clock on the 18th. Following the previous day (17th), it recorded 600 people for two consecutive days.
In particular, the number of new confirmed cases has been increasing every day since the 15th, when the government eased the distance from the Seoul metropolitan area to stage 2 and the non-metropolitan area to stage 1.5. The average of 405.85 new patients per day for the last week, exceeding the standard of 2.5 stages (400-500 new cases per day) after two days of relieving distance.
The aftermath of group infection in boiler manufacturing plants, plastic manufacturing plants, and university hospitals is also difficult. As for the boiler plant in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, 129 people have been diagnosed so far, and’n-th infection’ is sporadically leading to family members and acquaintances who have been in contact with employees. In the plastic manufacturing plant in Namyangju, a total of 115 people were confirmed by the afternoon of the previous day (17th) after one Cambodian worker was confirmed.
On the morning of the 17th, when the number of new corona19 confirmed cases increased to 600, medical staff are collecting specimens at the Corona 19 Temporary Screening Test Center in Seoul Station Square. Photo = Yonhap News
In addition to the cases of infection through family gatherings during the Lunar New Year holidays, concerns are pouring over whether the ‘4th pandemic’ begins as people gather in entertainment facilities such as clubs due to a looser awareness.
Several clubs in Gangnam, Seoul, which reopened at the same time as the distance distancing was eased, and there were cases of people without masks drinking and dancing together in a small space at dawn on the 17th. It was found that more and more people are following the quarantine guidelines loosely, such as moving to nearby accommodations when bars are closed to continue drinking.
A 28-year-old office worker lamented, “It was a situation that was already predictable.” . He said, “Even if you ease the distance, you have to follow the quarantine rules on your own. When you see that you eat and drink without a mask like that, you can only sigh,” he said. .
Kwon Deok-cheol, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), presides over the Corona 19 Response Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held at the Sejong Government Complex in Sejong City on the morning of the 18th. Photo = Yonhap News
Meanwhile, when Corona 19 showed signs of re-proliferation, the government announced that it would review the new distancing system to be applied from next month. The reorganization of the distance positioning system, which tried to shift the center of gravity from’regulation/monitoring’ to’autonomy/responsibility’, was scheduled, but if the spread of Bangdaebon continues, the time to apply the new distance system will be delayed and the quarantine rules will be reinforced. to be.
According to the contents of the press conference of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Central Accident Control Headquarters on the 18th, the government simplifies the current five-step system into three steps to clarify the message of action for the people in each step, and the direction of minimizing the ban on collective use of multi-use facilities is being discussed.
Netizens, who felt tired from long distances, expressed their collapse, saying, “Repeat back and forth until when”, “It’s a downregulation in the first place”, and “Wouldn’t two weeks of three phases save the economy after three months of 2.5 steps?”
The quarantine authorities pointed out that the quarantine regulations were not being followed well. Kwon Deok-cheol, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said, “The number of confirmed cases through private meetings during the Lunar New Year holiday continues to increase.” , And group infections are continuously occurring in medical institutions, etc. The biggest problem is that there are quarantine regulations at the workplace, but not well observed.”
He added, “If a group infection occurs because the quarantine regulations are not properly observed at the workplace, please take all measures to claim reimbursement rights, etc.,” he said. “The government will preemptively mobilize all relevant organizations for the 3-mil workplace and many foreign workplaces. “I will do an intensive check.
Reporter Kim Young-eun [email protected]