Mask Wearing by Public Transport Users Amid Novel Coronavirus,
Temporary Allowance of Disposable Items,
Mayor Park Won-soon: "From Now On, It's a Matter of Survival and Livelihood"
On the 10th, amid ongoing concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, Gimpo Airport appeared quiet. / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Osangdo] As the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) spreads, the daily scenes in Seoul are also changing. The number of users at places where people gather, such as restaurants, theaters, and airports, has sharply dropped, threatening commercial districts, and most public transportation users, including subway and bus passengers, have started wearing masks. Also, in restaurants and cafes with heavy foot traffic, the temporary use of disposable products was allowed, causing some confusion among citizens.
Mayor Park Won-soon, considering this situation, urged city employees to take care not only of quarantine but also of people's livelihoods. On the afternoon of the 10th, Mayor Park visited the city's Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters situation room at City Hall and emphasized, "From now on, it is a matter of survival and livelihood," and said, "I hope you take care of self-employed people and small business owners and consider comprehensive measures."
The city is responding by issuing individual measures according to the situation. When it was found that airport users sharply decreased due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, the city decided to reduce the number of airport limousine bus operations by about 10%. According to the city on the 11th, the daily number of passengers on 22 airport limousine routes decreased by more than 30% compared to the previous year. The decline increased after the Lunar New Year holiday, with a sharp drop of 36.3% on the 5th. Accordingly, since the 7th, the city has been operating 11 of the 22 routes run by Airport Limousine Co., Ltd., reducing the number of operations from 762 times per day to 687 times, a reduction of 75 times. The number of operations of the other three companies operating the remaining routes?Seoul Airport Limousine Co., Ltd., Korea Urban Airport, and Aviation Comprehensive Service?is also expected to be reduced soon.
The city also decided to operate the Seonamkwon Global Center in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, a support facility for foreigners, as a novel coronavirus foreigner reporting and reception center. Counseling and guidance will be provided in eight languages including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Mongolian, and illegal immigrants will be treated without crackdown. If a foreigner is infected with the novel coronavirus, even illegal immigrants will receive support for medical expenses as well as some living expenses.
Earlier, Seoul City admitted eight self-quarantined individuals who had contact history with confirmed novel coronavirus patients to the city’s Human Resources Development Institute dormitory. The self-quarantined individuals admitted to the institute include seven Chinese tourists who had contact with the 23rd confirmed patient and one Korean national.
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