The government’s COVID-19 subcommittee on Friday approved a plan to allow the lifting of quasi-emergency measures as long as health care systems are not overwhelmed, even if daily case counts remain high.
The criteria will include occupancy rates for hospital beds set aside for COVID-19 patients and other factors that could contribute to straining health care systems.
Quasi-emergency measures can also be lifted under the plan if new cases are declining and the hospital bed occupancy rate for virus patients is over 50%. At present, the measures can be lifted if daily cases are declining, the hospital bed occupancy rates for all COVID-19 patients as well as severe virus patients are below 50%, and the number of patients recovering at home is on the decline.