Full Support for Beds, Personnel, and Equipment... Deployment of Military Personnel and Establishment of Temporary Self-Quarantine Facilities
Meetings with Provincial Governors Attended Three Times Weekly Led by the Prime Minister... Comprehensive National Effort Mobilized
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is delivering a speech at the Expanded Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 response held on the 21st at the Seoul Situation Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room in the Government Seoul Office Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 21st, "We will designate Daegu and Cheongdo in Gyeongbuk, where a large number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have occurred, as 'Special Infectious Disease Control Areas' and take extraordinary measures."
On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Chung held an expanded Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting at the Government Complex Seoul with ministers, vice ministers of related ministries, and governors of 17 cities and provinces, saying, "It is urgent to find contacts and treat confirmed patients as quickly as possible."
Prime Minister Chung explained, "We will fully support the necessary resources such as hospital beds, personnel, and equipment," adding, "We will deploy public personnel including military medical staff and prepare temporary protection facilities for those who have difficulty with self-quarantine."
He continued, "The cumulative number of patients has exceeded 100, and community infections have begun in some areas," emphasizing, "The government's response direction needs to change according to the situation. Until now, we focused on blocking domestic inflow, but from now on, we will place more emphasis on preventing community spread."
In particular, he mentioned, "One month after responding to COVID-19, we have entered an extraordinary phase," and said, "The government will comprehensively unite national capabilities to overcome COVID-19. We will respond quickly and strongly."
He also appealed, "It is an urgent situation where the government, local governments, the public, and the medical community all need to pool their wisdom."
Furthermore, he added, "We will strengthen the government's response system. The ministerial-level meetings chaired by the Prime Minister every Sunday will be expanded to hold the 'COVID-19 Pan-Government Countermeasure Meetings' three times a week with ministers and governors."
Prime Minister Chung also said, "We will strengthen the role of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters composed of local governments to focus administrative power on overcoming COVID-19," and "We will thoroughly inspect medical resources such as public and private hospitals within the region and establish a system to share resources at the national level when local solutions are difficult."
He urged, "We ask the public to also make efforts to overcome COVID-19 together with the government."
Meanwhile, there were expectations that the meeting would decide to raise the infectious disease crisis alert to the highest level, 'serious,' but it is expected that the adjustment of the crisis alert level will be made after carefully monitoring the trend of confirmed patient increases.
The day before, the government held an emergency meeting of related ministers chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss raising the infectious disease crisis alert but reportedly did not reach a conclusion. It is interpreted that there were concerns that raising the crisis alert prematurely could cause anxiety.
Prime Minister Chung is scheduled to report the meeting results to President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House around 9 a.m., immediately after the CDSCH meeting. Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, and Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Noh Hyung-wook will also attend the report.
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