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Followers of Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul’s Seongbuk District attend an Easter service on Apr. 19. (Yonhap News)

The South Korean government has decided to extend its social distancing measures from Apr. 20 to May 5 at a reduced intensity. These measures are designed to minimize the risk of the coronavirus spreading during the long weekend at the end of April that’s bookended by holidays (Buddha’s Birthday on Apr. 30 and Children’s Day on May 5). However, the government will be relaxing its recommendation for churches, nightlife establishments, gyms, and private academies to stay closed because of the outbreak. Now that the compulsory guidelines have been eased, an increasing number of churches and gyms are expected to reopen their doors.

“We will be lifting some restrictions while maintaining the current approach of social distancing from tomorrow [Apr. 20] to May 5. While maintaining intense social distancing would be safest in terms of disease control, it’s not practically feasible, so we need to look for a compromise,” said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun during a meeting of the Central Disaster Safety and Countermeasures Headquarters on Apr. 19.

“If we can maintain the current level of stability, we’ll transition to distancing within our daily routines on May 6,” Chung added.

As a consequence, the government is adjusting the guidelines it has imposed on churches, gyms, and nightlife establishments —which have been the focus of its intense social distancing approach — so as to allow them to open for business, provided that they abide by the disease control rules. But since the status of the outbreak and the risk of transmission varies with each region, the government will also give local government leaders the flexibility to adjust guidelines and to impose bans or other punishments for violations.

While nearly all public recreational facilities have been closed, the government will be reopening national parks, arboretums, and other outdoor facilities that present a lower risk of transmission because they aren’t very crowded. This reopening will take place in stages, after these facilities develop disease control guidelines. The government will also be developing guidelines for indoor facilities, including public museums, such as limiting visitors to one-third of normal capacity.

The government has also agreed to allow sporting events such as professional baseball to go ahead, provided that fans are kept out of the normally tightly packed stadiums. While the government continues to recommend the private sector to refrain from meetings, outings, and group events as much as possible, it won’t block companies from holding unavoidable events, such as essential employment exams.

In addition, the government intends to adjust the intensity of social distancing every two weeks, after assessing the risk of disease transmission and necessary preparations with experts. “If the disease control situation becomes more stabilized, we plan to transition to ‘routine-based’ disease control measures in stages, starting with safe areas. On the other hand, we’re also preparing for the contingency of tightening social distancing if the situation gets worse,” said Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, who also serves as first vice director of the disaster safety headquarters.

Experts say it’s too soon to relax, citing the example of Singapore, which has seen its number of cases spike after it eased distancing rules. “The government needs to continue to monitor those establishments where it had to take compulsory measures when they failed to abide by the intense social distancing rules. The relaxed distancing rules must not be misunderstood to mean that things are okay now,” said Lee Jae-gap, a professor of infectious disease at Hallym University Medical Center in Gangnam.

According to the results of a survey about public awareness of social distancing, 63.3% of respondents opposed the idea of immediately relaxing social distancing. The disaster safety headquarters released the results of the survey, which involved 1,000 Koreans, on Sunday.

When asked about the areas in which distancing should be immediately relaxed, respondents were most likely to choose primary and secondary schools and universities (52.3%), while others chose outdoor facilities for sports and other activities (20%), indoor facilities for sports and other activities (18.7%), and indoor auditoriums and accommodations (9.0%).

According to figures released by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 18 new cases of COVID-19 were announced on Apr. 18 and eight more on Apr. 19, showing a clear downward trend. The last time the number of new cases was in the single digits was 61 days ago, on Feb. 18, after the diagnosis of Patient No. 31, a follower of the Shincheonji religious group.

“Many experts think there will be a long cycle of ups and down in the outbreak until a vaccine is developed. We’re watching closely for more cases over the next week because of factors such as increased interpersonal contact around Easter,” said KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong.

By Park Da-hae and Kwon Ji-dam, staff reporters

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