Park Neung-hoo: "Sporadic infections in karaoke rooms and PC cafes where risks were overlooked... Preparing management measures"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), stated on the 21st, "We will discuss whether additional quarantine measures are necessary, focusing on sporadic cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)."

During the opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office Building that morning, Deputy Head Park said, "Local infections that started in Itaewon are occurring sporadically through places such as coin karaoke rooms and PC rooms in the metropolitan area, where preemptive measures were relatively insufficient."

The government views it as a priority to quickly identify and block the links between schools and infection risk factors, as students' return to school is scheduled sequentially starting with third-year high school students from the previous day.

Deputy Head Park said, "In some local communities, school attendance was suspended the previous day due to the risk of local infections," adding, "We will review once again whether there are places and facilities where infection risks have been overlooked and prepare management plans tailored to the usage characteristics of each facility to supplement them." He also urged, "Students should refrain from visiting high-risk facilities such as karaoke rooms and PC rooms for the health of themselves and their friends."

At the meeting that day, the government will review quarantine measures in the metropolitan area related to additional confirmed cases and the situation of third-year high school students' return to school classes that began the previous day. Deputy Head Park said, "We will carefully examine whether there are any matters that need improvement during the return to school classes," and added, "If each ministry and local government presents opinions from the field, we will implement them promptly."

Deputy Head Park emphasized, "In a situation where daily life and quarantine coexist, it is more important than anything else to practice basic rules such as hand washing, wearing masks, and cough etiquette, and to refrain from entering facilities where many people gather," stressing, "The most effective measure is for each citizen to become the subject of quarantine."