Only a few hours are left before the new social distancing rules will come into effect in South Korea. They imply the abolition of a large number of previous restrictions and the beginning of a period of “life with COVID-19”, when the coronavirus is treated almost like a regular flu and is trying to return the “pre-coronavirus era.” Some experts fear that South Korea will face a more powerful outbreak of COVID-19, but most ordinary people support the idea of ”living with coronavirus”, as they are already tired of the restrictions lasting almost two years.
The new social distancing rules will come into effect in the Republic of Korea from the early morning of November 1. It also marks the beginning of a gradual return to normal life, although, of course, it is too early to talk about a complete abolition of restrictions. Since Monday, cafes and restaurants in South Korea have the opportunity to work 24 hours a day, and the number of people who can meet at the same time increases to 10-12 people. The work of fitness centers and entertainment establishments will be simplified, it will become possible to hold sports competitions and concerts with a larger number of spectators than it has been before. Various kinds of concessions are introduced in other areas of public life.
The transition to a normal life, where COVID-19 is treated almost like a simple flu, in South Korea is broken down into three phases of six weeks each. All this became possible thanks to the high rates of vaccination. As of October 31, the share of fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country exceeded 75%. If we take into account that young people under 18 have not yet been able to vaccinate, it turns out that the proportion of fully vaccinated among the adult population is already more than 87%.
True, the authorities have warned that at the end of each four-week stage there will be a two-week assessment period when the overall situation will be comprehensively analyzed. If there is a powerful outbreak of COVID-19 or the load on medical facilities due to the increase in the number of patients becomes more than 80%, then the return to the old life may be postponed.
Pessimists from among some experts predict that due to the new rules, when people will be able to communicate and move more freely, another outbreak is only a matter of time, with five thousand new patients per day, with the current two thousand daily. However, the authorities, with which the majority of the country’s population agrees, believe that the level of vaccination allows such a risk to be taken, and if people do get sick, it is already mostly in a mild form. From now on, not everyone will be hospitalized either, but only those who have a serious condition, as well as people aged 70 and older.
However, there is no talk of a complete return to the old life in Korea. The lifting of restrictions will take several months, and some measures, such as wearing masks and a limit on the number of participants at events, will continue to operate. In addition, the authorities are doing everything possible to push the insignificant number of Koreans who refused vaccination to get vaccinated, otherwise the unvaccinated entrance to some establishments will be closed or to some extent restricted. On the other hand, Korea is hoping that they really have already managed to overcome the main crisis. Local airlines and travel agencies are already reporting an increase in demand for tickets and travel abroad, which Koreans have missed a lot.
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