<Anchor> The



number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases is on the decline to 111,000, but the government is nervous about the occurrence of recombinant mutations.

The Ministry of Education has announced a new academic management plan for the recovery of daily life.



Correspondent Park Jae-hyun.



<Reporter>



111,319 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were counted.



That's an 84,000 fewer people than last Wednesday.



The number of critically ill patients was 808, a decrease of 26 from yesterday (19th), maintaining the 800 level for the fourth day, and the utilization rate of the critically ill beds is stable at 43%.



The death toll rose to 166, bringing the number to 100 for the third day.



However, as a total of three types of omicron recombinant mutant viruses, such as XE and XM, were discovered in Korea, the government is closely monitoring whether the epidemic will re-spread.



The government said it would carefully discuss the lifting of the duty to isolate confirmed patients and wear an outdoor mask.

[Jeon Hae-cheol/Second Vice-Chairman of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Public Administration and Security): We will make a decision on whether to continue wearing an outdoor mask in early May, after a thorough evaluation of the quarantine



situation and collecting expert opinions.]



As the full-fledged recovery of daily life began, the Ministry of Education announced a new academic management plan tailored to this.



From next month, remote classes for quarantine purposes will disappear and all schools will return to school.



[Yoo Eun-hye / Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education: From May 1, all kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools and special schools across the country will return to normal school, and all subject and non-curricular educational activities at schools will be resumed to pre-COVID levels. ]



Accommodation-type school trips are also possible with parental consent.



Even if a confirmed case occurs in a class, only high-risk groups or those with symptoms are tested, and pre-emptive testing conducted once a week before going to school is also received when necessary according to the judgment of the education office.



Basic quarantine systems such as temperature screening, ventilation, and partitioning in the dining room will be maintained until the first semester.



However, the Ministry of Education said that it will come up with a plan to determine whether confirmed students can take the final exam in the first semester after the quarantine authorities decide to lift the quarantine obligation for confirmed patients.