The government has decided to extend the ban on private gatherings with more than five people for another two weeks. It is based on the judgment that there is a possibility that the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) will return to the spread of the New Year holidays after delaying the rein of the core quarantine. Considering the self-employed who are suffering from difficulties, the current distancing stage and the’corona curfew’, which can only be eaten at stores until 9 pm, were decided after observing the trend of confirmed cases for one week.
The Central Defense Countermeasure Headquarters announced on the 31st an extension of the social distancing phase that contained such details. Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Prime Minister) Jeong Sye-gyun said at the Corona 19 response meeting held at the government office in Seoul, “The third epidemic, which had been stagnating, is threatening our daily lives again. I earnestly appeal to you to give.”
In the script, even if the number of confirmed cases decreases, private gatherings of five or more people are prohibited nationwide for two weeks. It applies from the 1st to the 14th, the last day of the Lunar New Year holidays. Even if you visit an immediate family for the Lunar New Year, five people should not gather together. Meetings of 5 or more are allowed, except for cases where the address is the same or there is a possibility of death. Also, no more than five people can go together. Village feasts and folk games are also prohibited.
The extension of the distance step and the corona curfew were decided to be mitigated after watching the trend of corona19 confirmed patients for one week. If the number of confirmed cases decreases during a week, it is highly likely that the curfew will be delayed by an hour to 10 pm to relieve the burden of self-employed people.
The government made winter sports facilities such as ski resorts open after 9pm. In addition, it allowed the use of shower rooms in indoor sports facilities in the metropolitan area such as gyms. In the theater performance hall, companions were allowed to sit side by side.
The government also announced a detailed vaccine vaccination plan for Corona 19 on the same day. The quarantine authorities were informed on the 30th that they could receive 60,000 Pfizer-Bioentech vaccines in mid-February through Cobax Facility, a global vaccine supplier partnership. In the first half of the year, it was decided to receive 1.3 million copies of AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s Corona 19 vaccine.
Preventing the ‘3rd pandemic’ during the Lunar New Year holidays… The ski resort is closed after 9pm
2 weeks extension of the government’s ban on private gatherings with more than 5 people
This is because the government has extended the ban on private gatherings with more than 5 people for two weeks, and it was determined that there is a high risk of re-proliferation of Corona 19 during the New Year holidays (February 11-14). The number of confirmed cases peaked at the end of last year and turned to a downward trend, and the holiday season, when several people gather, could be a catalyst for the nationwide re-proliferation. However, for’Corona Curfew’, which cannot be eaten in the store at 9 pm, and the distance is extended, the decision will be made again after one week. In consideration of the self-employed, who had suffered for a long time, the time of the readjustment was advanced by one week. The only measure that has been confirmed to be applied to the Lunar New Year holidays is’prohibition of private gatherings with more than 5 people’.
As early as last week, the government considered a way to lower the distance. This is because the number of confirmed cases, which peaked at the end of last year, seemed to decrease. The average number of confirmed patients per day peaked at 887.0 from December 27 last year to January 2 this year. This number decreased by more than 100 people every week from 736.6 (January 3-9) → 498.6 (January 10-16) → 365.3 (January 17-23). This is the background of the expectation that the distance level will be lowered before the Lunar New Year holidays.
However, as the number of group infections from IM Mission increased last week (January 24-30), the average number of confirmed cases per day increased to 418. The number of confirmed patients maintaining social distancing step 2.5 (average of 400 to 500 per week) also exceeded the standard. Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious medicine at Korea Daeguro Hospital, said, “If the quarantine measures are determined according to the standards set by the government, it is correct to maintain the 2.5 stage.” I have to do it.”
The increase in the infected person production index and the amount of movement on weekends are also making the quarantine authorities uneasy. The infectious reproductive index, which went from 0.7 to 0.8 last month, exceeded 1.0 in the last week of January. This index is an indicator of how many people one confirmed person infects others. If it exceeds 1.0, the quarantine authorities judge that the outbreak is spreading. Weekend mobile phone traffic, which showed a decreasing trend since the third week of last November, has also steadily increased over the past two weeks.
Some opinions suggest that the number of confirmed cases should be fully observed during the Lunar New Year holidays and then the steps of distancing should be adjusted. In this case, mitigation measures can only come out at the end of this month or in March. Eun-mi Chun, a professor of respiratory internal medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, said, “Unlike Chuseok last year, there are many mild and asymptomatic Corona19 patients spreading in the region.
Reporter Kim Woo-seop [email protected]