Park Neung-hoo: "The Spread in Gwangju Region Is Unusual"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Park Neung-hoo, the 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), stated on the 22nd that "the spread of COVID-19 in the Gwangju area is serious."

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong on the same day, Deputy Head Park said, "Based on the experience in Daegu, it only took a week for the number of confirmed cases to increase from 20 to over 200, so the spread in Gwangju must be stopped immediately."

He added, "At times like this, Gwangju and nearby areas must return to the basics," urging, "Please refrain from gatherings, maintain a distance of at least 1 meter between people, and always wear masks."

The government focused on discussing quarantine rules for restaurants at the meeting. Deputy Head Park said, "There are about 660,000 restaurants nationwide that people use daily, but they are very vulnerable to infection," and added, "Looking back at epidemiological investigation cases so far, many infections occurred while dining together." He continued, "Outside of meal times, masks should be worn inside restaurants, individual utensils should be used, and close contact minimized to prevent infections within restaurants."

Meanwhile, as K-quarantine has become the global standard for quarantine, many countries have recently requested telephone and video summit meetings to learn about Korea's quarantine status. Deputy Head Park evaluated this as "a proud achievement made possible by the cooperation of the public, medical staff, and government."

He said, "Based on these achievements, if we overcome the current difficulties and develop the quarantine system together with the public, we will be able to overcome this difficult time with a new method that harmonizes quarantine and daily life."