[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has been put on alert after Kim Kang-rip, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, who was leading the CDSCH briefing, and government officials attended a recent meeting with the director of Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, who tested positive for COVID-19. A total of eight government officials attended the meeting, and all have entered self-quarantine.
A CDSCH official said at the regular briefing on the morning of the 18th, "Including Vice Minister Kim Kang-rip, officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare are self-quarantining as a preventive measure," adding, "Since an epidemiological investigation is underway, additional measures or responses may be necessary depending on the results."
On the 13th, eight officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, including Vice Minister Kim, held a meeting with directors of metropolitan universities and general hospitals near Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Director Lee Sang-young of Bundang Jesaeng Hospital also attended the meeting, and he tested positive for COVID-19 on the morning of the 18th.
A CDSCH official stated, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare officials were not notified by the public health center as subjects for self-quarantine but returned home in the morning as a preventive measure," adding, "Whether masks were worn during the meeting will require further confirmation through the epidemiological investigation."
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