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The health authorities announced in a briefing today (16th) that the day when the corona quarantine indicators stabilized and the indoor mask duty is eased is not far.

Whether it's before the Lunar New Year's Day or after the holiday, that point is important, and an official discussion will be held tomorrow about this.



Reporter Yoo Seung-hyun reports.



<Reporter> The



health authorities analyzed that the epidemic this winter has passed its peak and has entered a stable phase.



Last week, the number of confirmed cases was 300,000, down 27.5% from the previous week, and the number of deaths decreased by 11%.



The number of new severe cases in the week, which increased slightly last week, also declined again and decreased by 17%.



Among the four conditions for easing the mandatory indoor mask requirement, all were met except for the vaccination rate for the elderly.



[Jeong Ki-seok/Corona 19 Special Response Team: At that time (the point of relieving indoor mask duty) was not that far away.

So, no matter what policies are announced before the New Year's Day or whether there is a clear timeline after the New Year's Day, the time is almost over.]



However, overseas variables remain.



The epidemic in neighboring countries, including Japan, which accounts for the largest proportion of the departure countries of domestic entrants, has recently declined, and the positive rate of short-term residents from China has also


stabilized in single digits for the third day, but it is difficult to rule out the possibility of an influx of mutations.



[Jeong Ki-seok/Corona 19 Special Response Team: Wouldn't it be the safest way to make decisions while watching a little more time because of external factors?]



As indoor mask relief is imminent, concerns about high-risk groups are also growing.



The improved vaccine vaccination rate for the elderly over 60 years old is 33.9%, which is still short of the target of 50%.



The health authorities will open an advisory committee tomorrow afternoon to collect opinions and soon announce the timing of mask relief.



In some places, such as public transportation, you must continue to wear a mask, so a plan to ease it after the Lunar New Year holiday after accurately explaining and informing the public is being carefully reviewed.



(Video coverage: Park Young-il, video editing: Choi Hye-young, CG: Seo Seung-hyun)