HOW S. Korea Drops Proof Of Vaccine, Test To Aid Virus Response

South Korea will no longer require people to show proof of vaccination or negative tests to enter any indoor space starting Tuesday, removing a key preventive measure during a fast-developing omicron surge that's elevating hospitalizations and deaths. The Health Ministry's announcement on Monday came as the country set another one-day record in COVID-19 deaths with 114, breaking the previous high of 112 set on Saturday. More than 710 COVID-19 patients were in critical or serious conditions, up from 200-300 in mid-February, while nearly half of the country's intensive care units designated for COVID-19 were occupied.

Adults have been obliged to provide proof of negative testing or confirm their immunization status using smartphone applications to enter potentially crowded locations such as restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, and karaoke venues since December. Local court verdicts in places such as Daegu, where a district judge last week determined the measures were excessive for those in their 50s and younger, have already challenged the program. He pointed out that the government has changed its antivirus campaign's focus to high-risk populations, such as persons in their 60s and older, and those with previous medical concerns.

"We had considered screening high-risk groups and treating individuals who had previously tested positive with our limited public health resources..." During a news previously tested positive with our limited public health resources... During a news conference, Park stated, "There was also regional misunderstanding as a result of court judgements." She said that authorities have no intentions to reinstate the anti-epidemic pass until the pandemic changes drastically, such as the arrival of a new coronavirus variety.

While the anti-epidemic pass has been halted, we ask for people in their 60s or older and unvaccinated people to exercise even more caution than before, Park added, saying omicron would be potentially dangerous to them. Omicron has so far seemed less likely to cause serious illness or death than the delta strain that hit the country hard in December and early January. But hospitalizations and deaths are beginning to rise amid a greater scale of outbreak that is stretching worn-out health and public workers.

The country has been forced to reshape its pandemic response in a way that effectively tolerates the virus' spread among the broader population while concentrating medical resources to protect priority groups. Officials have rapidly expanded at-home treatments while significantly easing quarantine restrictions. The country has also reshaped its testing policy around rapid antigen test kits, despite concerns over their accuracy and propensity for false-negative results, to save laboratory tests mostly for priority groups. Many South Koreans are wary of the bend-but-not-break approach as the country continues to report some of the world's highest daily infection numbers, including 139,626 on Monday.

Given people's exhaustion and discontent with protracted limitations and the impact on service sector enterprises, there appears to be limited political potential to enhance social separation ahead of the March 9 presidential election. Despite the rising outbreak, officials extended restaurant eating hours by an hour to 10 p.m earlier this month, however private social gatherings are still limited to six people. More than 86 percent of the country's 51 million people have gotten complete vaccinations, with roughly 61 percent receiving booster injections.