As Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, Direct On-Site Command in Daegu After Tomorrow's Cabinet Meeting
Adequate Contingency Funds and Resources Available, Preparing in Advance for Economic Vitality Post-Pandemic
"No Total Ban on Chinese Entry, Considering Reciprocity and Comprehensive Factors"
"No Postponement of the April 15 General Election"
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 Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun will head to the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, where confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are rapidly increasing, to personally lead quarantine efforts after the Cabinet meeting on the 25th.
On the afternoon of the 24th, Prime Minister Chung held a press conference at the Government Seoul Office and said, "Since the latter part of last week, community transmission has begun centered on specific regions and groups, with the possibility of spreading nationwide, so I judge that preemptive measures are necessary," adding, "After tomorrow morning's Cabinet meeting, I plan to go to the field and personally take command."
He elevated the infectious disease crisis alert level related to COVID-19 to "serious" and took charge as the head of the expanded and reinforced Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH). When the scheduled National Assembly interpellation was canceled that day, he held a press conference instead to explain the government's future response plans.
Starting from the 25th, Prime Minister Chung plans to base himself in Daegu and directly oversee quarantine measures. He said, "The high number of confirmed cases in Daegu and Gyeongbuk is not simply a problem of those regions but a national issue," and added, "We will mobilize all government capabilities without distinction between central and local governments."
He emphasized that the success of quarantine depends on speed. Prime Minister Chung explained, "Although the fatality rate is low, it has the characteristic of spreading rapidly," and said, "The government and quarantine headquarters must respond with speed."
◆Supplementary Budget? Sufficient Available Resources, but Need to Prepare for Post-COVID-19 Situation= Prime Minister Chung stated that while there are sufficient resources by utilizing the government's earmarked contingency funds, it is necessary to prepare in advance considering the economic impact after overcoming COVID-19.
He said, "The government has 2 trillion won in earmarked contingency funds and various funds as available resources, so I do not think a supplementary budget is necessary," but added, "There is a high possibility of significant economic difficulties after overcoming COVID-19, and both the ruling and opposition parties emphasize the need for a supplementary budget, so it is better to prepare in advance for the situation." However, he noted that the scale and submission timing of the supplementary budget have not been specifically decided.
Regarding the presidential emergency financial and economic command authority, which has been raised by some, he dismissed it as a general review of all possible alternatives. Prime Minister Chung said, "It is one of the things being sufficiently reviewed to prepare for economic difficulties," and added, "We are not considering its activation, but rather practically reviewing various possibilities including the supplementary budget."
◆"Export Volume Restrictions" to Ensure Smooth Supply of Masks = In response to growing concerns about mask supply amid rapidly changing domestic COVID-19 conditions, he announced plans to limit export volumes to secure masks for domestic use.
Regarding the mask shortage, Prime Minister Chung said, "We plan to approve more proactive measures at tomorrow morning's Cabinet meeting than those taken so far," adding, "We will limit export volumes to allocate a large quantity for domestic use, half of which will be supplied directly to actual users through the public distribution network, and we have prepared a notice to ensure 100% supply of medical masks."
On demands for banning Chinese nationals from entering the country, which have been raised on the Blue House petition board and elsewhere, he emphasized that minimizing entrants has been successful so far and that mutual reciprocity between the two countries must be considered.
Prime Minister Chung explained, "As a result of actively working to block risky inflows, the number of entrants from China has decreased by 80% compared to last year, successfully minimizing them," and said, "When we take certain measures, reciprocity often comes into play, so we have not imposed entry bans beyond Hubei Province," adding, "This has nothing to do with fearing China," and emphasized, "I want to stress that there is nothing more important than the safety and lives of our citizens."
◆No Postponement of the General Election= He also dismissed as impossible the theory of postponing the April 15 general election, which has been raised by some.
Prime Minister Chung said he believes the election must proceed as scheduled, adding, "There has never been a case of postponing a general election because the absence of the legislative branch among the three branches of government?legislative, executive, and judicial?is not acceptable."
Regarding calls to declare Daegu and Gyeongbuk as special disaster zones, he emphasized that equivalent measures are being taken even without such a declaration. Prime Minister Chung said, "When comparing measures that can be taken under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act with those when declaring a special disaster zone due to typhoons, there is no difference," and added, "Even without a formal declaration, measures beyond that are being implemented."
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