President Moon's Meeting with Provincial Education Superintendents on COVID-19: "Children's Safety Comes First"

President Moon Jae-in is holding a meeting with metropolitan and provincial superintendents of education at the Blue House on the 19th to discuss measures against the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the new school semester education field.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in held a meeting on the 19th with superintendents from 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide to discuss student safety and quarantine measures related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). With the school opening season approaching, an emergency alert has been issued for student safety and quarantine.

At around 10:30 a.m. on the same day, President Moon met with the superintendents at the Blue House and said, "The safety of children is the top priority," adding, "Before the school term begins, I ask for special disinfection to be carried out at all possible kindergartens and schools, and for special attention and support to ensure that quarantine supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers are sufficiently stocked in schools." The government decided to initially allocate a budget of 25 billion won for school disinfection and the purchase of quarantine supplies. The meeting lasted about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, also attended.

President Moon said, "Please thoroughly educate on hygiene practices such as handwashing and wearing masks, and maintain close communication with schools," and added, "Until the situation is resolved, I ask you to cooperate closely with the Ministry of Education’s Central Accident Response Headquarters and promptly reflect the demands from the education field."

As some schools have decided to close or postpone the start of the semester, the demand for after-school care classrooms is also increasing. Regarding this, President Moon said, "If there are requests from parents such as dual-income families, I ask for special attention to ensure that after-school care classrooms can operate as much as possible," and added, "I hope that unified standards or guidelines nationwide will be established regarding school classes or closures, including kindergartens."

In particular, an emergency alert has been issued for quarantine as more than 10 secondary confirmed cases with unknown infection routes have occurred in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. President Moon said, "I have received reports that the number of confirmed cases has increased significantly," adding, "It appears to be related to infections associated with patient number 31, who was a major concern." He further stated, "It is necessary to significantly strengthen the community infection response system and establish a solid defense network in the community," and added, "Quarantine measures at hospitals, nursing facilities, and other multi-use facilities must be further strengthened."

Addressing the superintendents, he said, "Please closely monitor the community spread situation and cooperate in appropriate responses," and urged, "I ask the public to strictly follow hygiene rules and, even if there is no travel history or contact history, to trust medical staff and actively cooperate with treatment if suspicious symptoms appear."

This is the first time President Moon has held a meeting with superintendents nationwide since taking office. It is also the third time in the history of past administrations, with two meetings held during the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2009 and 2012.