The health authorities in South Korea are recommending the use of masks once again as the daily average number of Covid-19 cases in the past week exceeded 45,000, media reports said.
“Now that the number of patients who test positive for Covid-19 is increasing, we ask that people voluntarily wear masks again in crowded places such as public facilities and mass transportation,” Dr Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said on Wednesday.
She also called on people who have tested positive for the virus to observe a five-day quarantine period, said the Korea JoongAng Daily.
The daily average Covid-19 caseload from July 25 to July 31 reached 45,529, said the KDCA.
A total of 57,220 cases were recorded for July 26 – the first time in six months that the daily number exceeded 50,000.
The total number of people who died from Covid-19 in the same July 25 to July 31 period was 97. It marked a 72.5 per cent jump from the previous week’s tally.
Hospitalisation for patients with moderate to severe symptoms also increased 19.7 per cent, compared with the week before.
The KDCA said it expects the daily average caseload to reach 60,000 by mid-August. Cases of other respiratory diseases such as influenza are also expected to rise, it added.
South Korea lifted most of its indoor mask requirements by March, when masks became optional while commuting on public transport. Masks continued to be mandatory at healthcare facilities such as hospitals, pharmacies and nursing homes.
While South Koreans are no longer legally required to mask up, Dr Jee said face coverings are “the most basic means of preventing the spread of infectious diseases”.
South Korea is due to decide next week if it should downgrade Covid-19’s classification. It is currently a Class 2 disease, which means it needs to be reported to the government within 24 hours of occurrence.
There are plans to downgrade Covid-19 to the lowest level on the scale, Class 4, which will not require action as is the case for Class 2. If that happens, the indoor mask mandate currently in place for healthcare facilities would become an advisory.
Dr Jee said it is “unlikely” Covid-19 would pose a huge threat to society again. But she also said the disease is not yet completely endemic. Large and small waves of the infectious disease are still expected once or twice a year in the future, she added.
