Don't let our guard down

Social distancing rules eased, but war on virus is not over

People's daily lives are getting back to normal, though in a limited and gradual way, after health authorities eased social distancing rules Wednesday. The easing came 46 days after the stringent guidelines went into effect March 22.

It is good to see many people stop working from home and returning to their workplaces. Libraries, museums and art galleries have reopened. Churches, temples and other religious organizations resume their worship services. Sporting events such as pro baseball and pro football games have kicked off or will resume their new season, albeit in the absence of spectators.

But people still show mixed reactions ― hope for a complete return to normalcy as well as lingering concerns about a resurgence of COVID-19. It would be better to have cautious optimism about our efforts against the virus. We have to remain alert over the pandemic until it dies out. As medical experts pointed out, carelessness could put our health in harm's way.

At the same time, we don't have to be too pessimistic. The country has just gotten off to a fresh start with the relaxed social distancing guidelines and the new program of “everyday life quarantine.” The number of new daily infections continued to be kept under five for the past four days. This brought the total cases to 10,810 with the death toll standing at 256 Wednesday.

Still one of the toughest challenges is a plan to normalize school operations. Schools, which have been closed since March 2, will begin to reopen May 13 on a step-by-step basis. If this plan is completed, all 6 million schoolchildren and around 500,000 teachers will be back to school by early June. Thorough preparations are required to ensure students' health and safety.

Against this backdrop, some people call on the authorities to lower the infectious disease alert level, currently at the highest. But it is still too early to do so because no one knows if and when the coronavirus will resurge. Therefore a cautious approach is imperative. Another problem is that a growing number of people are not wearing masks and flocking to restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions. They should not forget to put on masks and maintain a safe physical distance from others. Sticking to personal hygiene rules is also essential.

It is equally important for the Moon Jae-in administration to endeavor to minimize the pandemic's crippling impact on the economy. The government and the ruling party should cooperate more closely with the opposition to execute economic relief programs worth 240 trillion won ($195 billion) aimed at helping hard-hit businesses and individuals and stimulating the economy.