In May, the hospital will also release the mask
The crisis stage of infectious disease disasters related to COVID-19 will be lowered to ‘interest’, the lowest level, from the 1st of next month.
At the end of August last year, the infectious disease grade became the same as that of seasonal influenza, and then it was lowered to the crisis stage again.
After four years and three months since January 20, 2020, when the first COVID-19 patient in Korea occurred, the COVID-19 epidemic has faced an end-demic.
As a result, some remaining indoor mask mandates for hospitals and clinics will be completely eliminated, and government-level response organizations such as the Central Accident Response Headquarters and the Central Disease Control Headquarters will also be disbanded.
The COVID-19 Central Headquarters held a meeting on the 19th, presided over by Ji Young-mi, head of the Central Headquarters.
From May 1, 2024, the COVID-19 crisis stage will be lowered from the second highest ‘alert’ to the lowest ‘attention’.
Son Young-rae, head of the situation division of the Supreme Court, said, “It is not necessary to lower the steps sequentially according to the current guidelines.”
The current quarantine situation itself is so stable, the fatality rate is low, and no particularly dangerous mutations are observed, so it has been lowered by two levels.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases was 4,705 in the first week of March this year.
But in the second week of the month, the number dropped to 2,283.
As of the second week of April, the JN.1 variant accounted for the majority of the COVID-19 variant, accounting for 83.7%, so no mutations that could be feared to spread in the short term have been identified.
Most of the quarantine measures and medical support policies that remained as a downward adjustment to the crisis stage will also disappear.
The recommended criteria for isolation of COVID-19 confirmed patients will be further eased from the existing “5 days from the collection date” to “24 hours after improvement of major symptoms of COVID-19”.
Even if symptoms improve, it is recommended to rest for about a day and return to daily life.
Wearing a mask, which remained mandatory only for hospital-level medical institutions and admission-type infection-vulnerable facilities, or pre-emptive tests for residents of infection-vulnerable facilities will also change from mandatory to recommended.
Although the obligation to wear a mask or conduct pre-emptive tests has been lifted, this does not mean that high-risk protection at medical institutions or infection-vulnerable facilities is not necessary.
If you suffer from respiratory symptoms or are sick, you should refrain from going to school or going to work, and a culture that allows this should be established.
Most medical aid will disappear at a level similar to the flu.
COVID-19 testing fees are basically not supported.
The cost of rapid antigen testing (RAT) is provided only for those who are eligible for edible treatment, patients in nursing institutions located in medical vulnerable areas, and those who are admitted to the emergency room or intensive care unit.
State funding for inpatient treatment expenses, which had been provided to some severely ill patients, will also end.
Treatments such as Paxlovid are changed from free support to receiving 50,000 won per person.
However, free support will be maintained for medical benefit recipients and the second-highest class.
The COVID-19 vaccine maintains free vaccination for all citizens only until the 2023-2024 season.
After that, from the next season, only high-risk groups such as those aged 65 or older and immunocompromised will be inoculated for free.
The monitoring system also stops separate proton monitoring and operates through a respiratory sample monitoring system along with other respiratory infectious diseases such as the flu.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Ministry of Health and Welfare) and the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CSD) formed in January 2020 are finished, and related personnel return to general work.
This time, the crisis stage is down to “interest,” but the culture of resting when sick is necessary for the health of members of the 토토사이트 society.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please visit a nearby medical institution for treatment and follow personal quarantine rules such as washing your hands.