PUBLIC IN FAVOR OF ‘WITH CORONA’

[Anchor Lead]

2050 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported for Tuesday in Korea. The spread is alarming in the greater Seoul area. A public poll shows three out of every four Koreans are in favor of the so called "With Coronoa" system sof coexisting with Covid and focusing more on managing seriously ill patients rather than preventive quarantine measures. Most of the respondents said the appropriate time for that would be late November.

[Pkg]

The public was asked if it would be okay to transition to "with corona", a phase when people can return to relative normalcy while adhering to select prevention measures. About 73 percent surveyed support the idea. More than half of the polled believe the appropriate time for implementing the “with corona” strategy would be late November. That’s when more than 70 percent of the public will be fully vaccinated. Some of the respondents feel the appropriate time for enforcing the plan is late September, when more than 70 percent of the population would have received their first shot. The majority said the daily tally should be below 100 on average in order to live a normal life again. Nearly 30 percent pointed out fewer than 500 is acceptable. Sixty-two percent said the number of deaths from COVID-19 should be under a thousand a year in order to return to normal life. Only 21 percent believe the average number should be under 5,000, similar to seasonal flu. The government's stance is that the appropriate time for resuming normal life in phases will be late October.

[Soundbite] Jeong Eun-kyeong(KDCA director) : "If 70 percent of the population is vaccinated by Chuseok, more than 80 percent of adults will be immunized. We aim to complete vaccinations by the end of October. That would make it possible to consider transitioning to ‘with corona’."

While efforts are underway to begin the transition to normal life, the virus is spreading quickly in the capital region again. Last week the daily tally in the metropolitan area rose nearly 4 percent from the week prior. The number of cases per 100,000 people in the greater Seoul area now stands at 4.5, nearly twice that of other regions. Authorities warn the public against perceiving a larger cap on private gatherings and longer business hours as signs of restrictions easing.

[Soundbite] Kang Do-tae(Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures HQs) : "Cases could surge again as schools and universities reopen and holiday travel increases."

2050 new coronavirus cases were reported in Korea as of midnight Wednesday. The spread is mostly occurring in the capital area, with 665 reported in Seoul and _691 in Gyeonggi-do Province.