The number of new virus cases is increasing sharply with the easing of quarantine guidelines as the nation shifts to a “living with Covid” regime.
On Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 2,667 new virus cases, marking the fourth-highest daily tally and raising the cumulative caseload to 370,640. Eighteen more people died from the virus, raising the death toll to 2,892 with a fatality rate of 0.78 percent.
It is the first time since Sept. 30 that the daily new cases exceeded 2,500.
"Even considering that the weekend effect of reduced tests has begun to disappear, the number of confirmed cases is alarming," Ministry of Health and Welfare Spokesman Son Young-rae said. "With the implementation of a gradual recovery of daily life, eased quarantine rules, and increased social activities, the number of Covid-19 cases increased."
Son predicted that although the number of confirmed cases is increasing due to increased social contact, the situation will return to stability if people observe quarantine rules such as wearing a mask and washing hands.
"The government expects that the number of confirmed cases will continue to increase for a while. After that, however, the number of confirmed cases will plateau and become more stable after a certain point," Son said. "Only then will we be able to continue with our daily recovery."
The surge in cases comes two days after the country began its "living with Covid" system.
On Monday, Korea activated the first of the three-stage scheme to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions as more than 70 percent of the population completed vaccination on Monday.
Under the latest measure effective for four weeks, restrictions on business hours of cafes, restaurants, and other businesses were fully lifted, except for nightlife establishments, and the private gathering limit was raised to 10 people for the greater Seoul area.
High-risk facilities, such as bars and nightclubs, are required to introduce the "vaccine pass" system under which visitors have to show that they have been fully vaccinated or have a negative test result.
Korea has vaccinated 41,269,453 people – 11,108,113 with the AstraZeneca vaccine, 22,065,803 with Pfizer's vaccine, 1,486,254 with Janssen's vaccine, 6,567,107 with Moderna's vaccine – with the first shot of the vaccine up 42,176 from the previous day.
As of Monday, 75.7 percent of Koreans were fully vaccinated, while 80.4 percent have received their first shots.
Meanwhile, mass infections at nursing homes have also emerged as a new source of concerns for health authorities.
Since August, health officials have confirmed 2,424 people with Covid-19 from 160 cluster infections originating at nursing hospitals, facilities, and psychiatric hospitals. In response, the government decided to move up its booster vaccination plans for workers and residents of nursing hospitals, facilities, and psychiatric hospitals by a month.
Workers at nursing facilities must also undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test once a week, even if they have completed vaccination.
However, heads of local governments may increase the inspection cycle up to twice a week considering the group outbreak in the region, while workers who have passed the two-week mark after vaccination can be exempt from the PCR test.
Visits to nursing homes are permitted only when both the patients and visitors have completed vaccinations, and the nursing hospitals have to implement a reservation system to disperse visitors.
"In case of a confirmed case due to non-compliance with the rules, the government may limit compensation for loss or financial support," Son said. "Employees and visitors to nursing hospitals should strictly follow basic quarantine rules, such as wearing a face mask."