Korea to ease social distancing in greater Seoul area for 2 weeks

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a meeting on the COVID-19 response at the government complex in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

The government decided to ease the tougher social distancing requirements in the greater Seoul area for the next two weeks as the country's virus situation showed signs of abating, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday.

“We have kept an eye on the virus situation over the last week. Although sporadic infection clusters and untraceable cases continued to put health authorities on alert, the government judged that the stricter quarantine measures are generating results,” the prime minister said in a regular government COVID-19 response meeting. “We truly appreciate the public's efforts to comply with the rules and their patience.”

Under the new decision, the social distancing scheme will be relaxed to Level 2.0 from Level 2.5. Under level 2.0, most daily routines are allowed but outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people and indoor meetings of over 50 are prohibited.

However, Chung said the eased rules will only stay two weeks before going back to the tightened mode during the upcoming Chuseok holiday, when many Koreans usually travel to their hometowns and spend time with their families.

Considering the country has seen a soaring number of virus infections following public holidays, the government urged people to refrain from traveling to their hometowns or visiting relatives during the long weekend ― that lasts for five days from Sept. 30. Chung said the government decided to designate the days as a special antivirus period for two weeks from Sept. 28.

Chung also mentioned the aftereffects of the COVID-19 recovery. “Although the virus has disappeared from patients' bodies, many people suffer from unknown aftereffects,” he said. “Research in the United States and Europe showed that many aftereffects such as breathing difficulties, fatigue and lung damage were found in patients after recovery. This is why young people, as well as all age groups should pay extra attention to prevent the spread of infections.”

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 121 new COVID-19 infections for Saturday, including 99 local ones, raising the total caseload to 22,176. Three more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 358 amid a fatality rate of 1.61 percent.

The number of local infections also declined below 100 for the first time in a month.

Among the 99 local cases, 30 cases were detected in Seoul and 27 in Gyeonggi Province. Incheon, west of Seoul, reported three additional cases.

Fourteen cases were reported in the southeastern city of Daegu, 11 days after it marked the first instance of new infections reaching double digits since Sept. 2. Most cases were traced to Sarang Church there where the first five cases were confirmed among its members who attended mass rallies on Aug. 15 in Seoul. Cases linked with the Aug. 15 anti-government rally in Seoul reached 577, up 12 from the previous day.

Cases tied to Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, a hotbed of the recent spike in new infections, stayed unchanged for a fifth day at 1,167.

Sporadic outbreaks showed no signs of letup, with cases linked to a general hospital in western Seoul rising by six to 29. Infections tied to a mountain hiking club in the Seoul area increased by three to 38. The proportion of untraceable cases accounted for 23.9 percent of the total 2,477 cases over the past two weeks, the KDCA said.