<Anchor> The
quarantine authorities had already predicted that the number of confirmed cases last month would exceed 2,000. So, while maintaining the 4th level in the metropolitan area for a month and raising the distance in other areas, the corona has not been broken. Experts point out that the current distance itself is insufficient to prevent the delta mutation, which is the core of the fourth wave.
Reporter Park Soo-jin.
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[Jung Eun-kyung/Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (July 8): If the current situation worsens, it is predicted that there will be more than 2,000 people.]
The forecast of the quarantine authorities a month ago has become a reality.
The current social distancing system is failing to prevent the fourth pandemic centered on the delta mutation.
[Choi Jae-wook/Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University: (Current) The distance program itself is not designed for the spread of the delta mutant virus, so even if the system works well, it does not work.]
Distance 2.5 at the end of last year, the peak of the third epidemic Comparing the current stage 4, where the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled, the quarantine tension is lower now.
At the end of last year, the business hours of restaurants and cafes in the 2.5-level area were limited to 9 pm, and entertainment facilities such as the Malone singing practice center and indoor sports facilities were also subject to a ban on gatherings.
What has been strengthened is the prohibition of more than three people after 6 pm in the metropolitan area.
The government also acknowledged that "it is difficult to block the spread of the virus with current quarantine measures" and "we are considering additional measures."said.
First of all, contact visits, including those vaccinated, have been completely suspended at nursing hospitals and facilities where breakthrough infections continue.
Another measure was to appeal to the people to stay at home over the Liberation Day holiday.
The government is hesitant to take strong quarantine measures in consideration of the prolonged damage to the self-employed and small business owners.
There are also many opinions that stronger and new measures are needed.
[Eom Joong-sik / Professor of Infectious Diseases, Gachon University Gil Hospital: I think that close to 3,500 people can come out by the end of August. If we don't enforce physical distancing more strongly, we think that our response level will be exceeded.]
Again, after the outbreak of the epidemic, the quarantine measures are being repeated.
(Video coverage: Kim Min-cheol, video editing: Choi Jin-hwa, CG: Han Jeong-woo, Seo Seung-hyun)