Prime Minister Jeong: "Special Livestock Epidemic Prevention Period for 5 Months Starting October 1"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced on the 24th, "The government will designate the period from October 1st for five months as a special quarantine period and implement extensive quarantine measures."

Prime Minister Chung made this statement regarding the 'Special Quarantine Measures for Livestock Infectious Diseases' at the 114th National Policy Issue Inspection and Coordination Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office.

He explained, "Before COVID-19 K-quarantine gained attention, we had achievements in successfully preventing livestock infectious diseases," adding, "There have been no occurrences of AI in the past two years, foot-and-mouth disease was contained within four days after its outbreak in January 2019, and African swine fever was prevented from further spreading within 23 days after its outbreak in September 2019, with no farm outbreaks to date."

He continued, "However, AI and foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks still persist overseas. ASF virus is still being detected in wild boars in our border areas," emphasizing, "This is why we must tighten our vigilance again ahead of winter, when virus activity becomes more active."

He urged, "Relevant ministries and local governments should thoroughly engage in quarantine efforts based on past experiences with the goal of not allowing even a single case of livestock infectious disease."

Regarding the development plan for daily logistics, Prime Minister Chung stated, "It is time to focus policy capabilities on expanding our logistics infrastructure and advancing the system."

On the results and future plans of the National Safety Inspection, he said, "This year's National Safety Inspection was conducted with a reduced scope considering the COVID-19 situation, focusing on vulnerable facilities such as steep slopes and child protection zones," and instructed, "Please promptly complete follow-up measures for any issues that need to be addressed based on the inspection results."

Furthermore, he added, "It is necessary to thoroughly review whether the annually conducted National Safety Inspection takes into account abnormal weather events," and urged, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and related ministries should carefully reflect disaster situations related to climate change and re-examine existing safety standards and on-site response systems."