[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed his gratitude to pharmacists who were in charge of selling public masks on the first day of the mask market supply transition on the 12th, saying, "We will remember your hard work and dedication."
In a post on social networking services (SNS), Prime Minister Chung said, "For 137 days, pharmacies were a grateful presence closest to the crisis situation," adding, "It was a valuable opportunity to once again realize the public nature of pharmacies."
The government abolished the system of supplying masks publicly through pharmacies on this day, 137 days after it began on February 26. The system was initiated to resolve the mask shortage that occurred in the early stages of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis, as the supply and demand were considered stabilized.
Prime Minister Chung mentioned, "Pharmacists had to reclassify masks daily according to quantity and spent hectic hours responding to a flood of inquiries," adding, "There were even pharmacists who took Cheongsimhwan before opening their stores due to complaints from citizens who could not obtain masks."
He emphasized, "Thanks to the hard work of pharmacists, public masks could be distributed stably, and the spread of COVID-19 could be slowed down to some extent."
He urged the public, "Please strictly follow the mask-wearing guidelines so that the past 137 days will not be in vain."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
