(Daily Daegu Gyeongbuk News = Reporter Hwang Ji-hyeon) Gyeongsangbuk-do announced that the downward adjustment of the COVID-19 crisis level announced by the COVID-19 Central Quarantine Headquarters on April 19 will take effect from May 1.
As the COVID-19 quarantine situation remains stable within the current medical system, the COVID-19 crisis level will be lowered from the current ‘Alert’ to ‘Concern’ level.
Accordingly, the legal obligation to take quarantine measures is lifted and the transition to voluntary quarantine practice takes place.
First, the obligation to wear masks in medical institutions and other admission-type facilities vulnerable to infection and to preemptively test residents of facilities vulnerable to infection will be changed to recommendations.
Isolation of confirmed cases will change from a recommendation of 5 days to a recommendation until 24 hours after the main symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, fever, headache, etc.) have improved.
Meanwhile, the medical support system aims to be incorporated into the general medical system at the level of seasonal flu, but is adjusted to minimize the burden of testing and treatment costs to protect high-risk groups.
In the case of test cost support, only health insurance support will be maintained for some symptomatic patients, such as those eligible for oral treatment (those over 60 years old, those with underlying diseases over 12 years old, and those with reduced immunity), and support for test costs for asymptomatic people will be terminated altogether.
Government support for a portion of the out-of-pocket expenses for isolation hospitalization treatment for seriously ill patients will be discontinued and only health insurance support will be continued. The existing support system through government purchase and distribution of treatments will be maintained, but those eligible to receive medical benefits and those in the next lowest income bracket will receive relief from out-of-pocket expenses. Free support is maintained only.
In addition, free vaccination for all citizens will be maintained for the entire 2023-2024 season, and starting with the 2024-2025 season, free vaccination will continue limited to high-risk groups (elderly people over 65 years old, immunocompromised people, etc.).
In addition, the temporary surveillance of positive COVID-19 cases will be terminated, and COVID-19 will be monitored through a respiratory specimen surveillance system along with influenza in the future.
Following the downgrading of the crisis level, the Central Accident Control Headquarters (Ministry of Health and Welfare) and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), which were formed in January 2020, will end their operations, and the COVID-19 task force within the Korea Disease Administration will continue to respond to COVID-19. .
Hwang Young-ho, director of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Welfare and Health Bureau, said, “The crisis level has been lowered to restore daily life, but support such as treatments to protect high-risk groups will be maintained to reduce the burden on residents and minimize damage.” He said, “Even as quarantine measures are relaxed, we will continue to monitor the epidemic situation and do our best to protect the health of the residents.”
