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| Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a government meeting on COVID-19 response at the Government Complex in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Government announces plans for return to pre-pandemic normality
By Jun Ji-hye
The government is considering shortening the mandatory COVID-19 isolation period to five days from the current seven in May at the earliest, as part of efforts for the transition to an endemic phase.
Unveiling a set of plans, Wednesday, the government said the country will move toward pre-pandemic normality in three phases.
In phase 1, the government will downgrade the classification of COVID-19 to "alert" from the current "serious," and shorten the mandatory COVID-19 isolation period to five days from the current seven.
Korea has a four-tier system in coping with infectious diseases ― attention, caution, alert and serious ― and COVID-19 has been classified at the top level since February 2020.
In phase 2, the remaining mandatory mask rules and isolation mandate for virus patients will be lifted, and in phase 3, COVID-19 will eventually become endemic, meaning its presence becomes more predictable and manageable like seasonal influenza.
"Each ministry and local government will need to pre-emptively prepare for necessary measures such as revisions of related guidelines, and inform the public of details such as changes in government support," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a government meeting on COVID-19 response.
Health authorities expect Korea to be able to enter phase 1 in late April or early May when the World Health Organization (WHO) plans to discuss whether to declare an end to what it calls a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) regarding the coronavirus.
U.S. President Joe Biden has also announced that he will end the country's COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11.
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| A COVID-19 testing center set up at a public health center in downtown Seoul is quiet, Wednesday, as the COVID-19 situation in Korea remains stable. Yonhap |
The authorities said most of the quarantine and medical measures related to COVID-19 will be maintained in phase 1.
The government will no longer recommend travelers take PCR tests within three days after arrival in Korea, but masks will still be mandatory at hospitals, standalone pharmacies and other vulnerable facilities such as hospitals for the elderly.
The announcement of COVID-19 numbers such as the number of newly confirmed cases will be changed to a weekly basis from the current daily basis.
In phase 2, most of the quarantine measures will be lifted as the remaining mask requirements and isolation mandate for virus patients will be changed to recommendations.
The government will close its COVID-19 testing centers and discontinue its support for the costs of testing and sick leave. The range of the support for medical treatments will be narrowed to critically ill patients who are hospitalized.
The government will also stop counting the number of newly confirmed cases and operating government-designated hospitals for treatment of virus patients.
"We need to monitor the situation for two to three months after the country enters phase 1, so the country is expected to be able to move toward phase 2 around July," said Jee Young-mee, the commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
In phase 3, practically all quarantine and medical measures will be lifted, and vaccinations against COVID-19 will belong to the national vaccination program.
The government will stop covering the costs of COVID-19 medicines such as Paxlovid. Considering that such medicines are expensive, the government will push for the national health insurance to be applied to them.
So far, the COVID-19 pandemic has been managed here by the pan-government organization led by the prime minister. But when the country enters phase 1, this organization will be disbanded, and the Central Disaster Management Headquarters under the Ministry of Health and Welfare will oversee the situation.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters under the KDCA will take this role in phase 2, and in phase 3, no more COVID-19-related organizations will be operated.
Regarding the timing for entering phase 3, a KDCA official said, "It would not happen this year. Maybe next year at the earliest."
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