Jeonnam Province Raises Social Distancing to Level 1.5 for Two Weeks Starting the 24th

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] From the 24th, social distancing in the Jeonnam region will be raised to level 1.5 for two weeks.

Jeonnam Province announced on the 22nd that although some areas had already raised the level earlier, the government decided to raise the level to prevent a winter surge ahead of the college entrance exam, as the average daily confirmed cases in the Honam area over the past week reached 27.4.

In Jeonnam Province, 8 additional locally transmitted confirmed cases occurred between the afternoon of the 21st and noon of the 22nd: 5 in Suncheon, 1 in Yeosu, 1 in Gwangyang, and 1 in Naju.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Jeonnam region is 354, with 304 being locally transmitted.

By area, 1 case related to contact with Gwangju case number 571 occurred in Naju; in Suncheon, 1 case related to contact with Jeonnam case number 328 and 2 cases related to a company were added, while 2 cases are under investigation for infection routes.

In Yeosu, 1 case related to a company occurred, and in Gwangyang, 1 additional case related to a PC bang was confirmed.

Recently, small group infections have occurred in daily life settings such as family and acquaintances' gatherings and workplaces, and multiple confirmed cases have been reported in multi-use facilities such as saunas and PC bangs.

The province plans to strengthen regulations for facilities prone to group infections, such as saunas.

Additionally, to address the shortage of hospital beds, the province decided to reopen a residential treatment center for mild patients in Naju starting from the 24th.

Kang Young-gu, Director of Health and Welfare at Jeonnam Province, stated, “As this is the first college entrance exam held amid the COVID-19 situation, we will thoroughly prepare to ensure that examinees do not experience inconvenience,” adding, “We will build a defense barrier and block infection chains through rapid epidemiological investigations and timely policy decisions by the city.”

He also urged, “Please refrain from family and acquaintances' gatherings, wear masks properly, and follow quarantine rules such as hand washing.”