On Wednesday, health authorities in South Korea declared that they will be lowering the infection level of COVID-19 to the lowest category, allowing the country to manage the disease like it would any other seasonal illness. This announcement follows the recent decrease in the number of new coronavirus cases in the country, which dropped to 40,400 last week, a decline of 17.7 percent from the week prior.
Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), commented on the situation in a government meeting, saying, “The spread of COVID-19, which started in the fourth week of June, has recently slowed down and turned into a decline, and the overall quarantine situation has been stabilized. It’s time to shift our focus from counting daily cases to protecting high-risk populations.”
The measure, which will take effect on August 31st, is intended to move the healthcare system back to its pre-pandemic state. As a result, COVID-19 will be classified as a Class 4 disease, which includes influenza and hand, foot and mouth disease, and will only require specimen-based surveillance. By comparison, Class 2 diseases, such as tuberculosis, measles and cholera, require the isolation of infected patients by health authorities.
People wait in line to take tests at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center in Seoul on Aug. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)
brk@yna.co.kr
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