Gov't extends social distancing drive until May 5

By Jun Ji-hye

The government has extended its social distancing campaign until May 5 in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday.

But he said that while extending the drive by another two weeks, the government would ease the strictness of implementation because the prolonged high-level physical distancing has resulted in mental fatigue among citizens.

Chung said the government would lift its guidance for churches, private institutions, sports facilities, clubs and other places where many people gather to suspend operations, but would keep asking them to comply with quarantine guidelines.

“Outdoor facilities with a lower risk of infections, such as recreational forests, will be able to resume their operations as soon as they are ready,” Chung said. “A decision on whether to have students physically attend schools will be made in phases in accordance with the development of the situation.”

The government noted that it would also allow professional baseball games and other outside sports events to be played without spectators.

The government will evaluate the risks of infections every two weeks and adjust the strictness of its social distancing guidelines.

The decision to extend the campaign comes in consideration of upcoming holidays such as Buddha's Birthday on April 30, Labor Day on May 1 and Children's Day on May 5, during which time many people want to go outside or have get-togethers to take advantage of the warm weather.

“It would be safer to continue with the high-level physical distancing, but that is not easy in reality. We need to find a compromise,” Chung said during a pan-government COVID-19 meeting.

Since March 22, the government has intensified its social distancing drive, asking churches and other facilities to suspend operations, while advising citizens to refrain from going outside and gathering in large groups.

On April 4, the government announced its two-week extension of the campaign, which was scheduled to end Sunday.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it had recorded eight more infections and two more deaths, Saturday, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,661 and the death toll to 234.

The daily number of new cases fell to a single digit for the first time in about 60 days.

Health authorities said, however, that it is too early to relax, being mindful of possible infection clusters following the nationwide general election, which took place April 15.

Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip earlier said it would be necessary to wait at least one or two weeks to see whether the government's quarantine measures on voting day had actually worked, considering the incubation period of the virus.

A consistent increase in the number of patients who test positive again after recovering from the virus has added to health officials' worries.

The KCDC said the number of people who tested positive a second time after leaving quarantine reached 179, Saturday, noting that it is carrying out epidemiological investigations to find the exact cause of the recurring positive test results.

KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said in a press briefing that the cases might have been a “reactivation” of the virus, not “reinfection,” because the patients tested positive soon after they were released from hospitals.

“Several different epidemiological investigations such as a case-control study are underway. We will be able to explain in detail after those surveys are completed,” Jung said.