Metropolitan Area COVID-19 Defense Line, President Moon Meets with Local Leaders (Comprehensive)

청 Capital Region Special Quarantine Inspection Meeting Attended by Oh Se-hoon, Lee Jae-myung, and Park Nam-chun... "Everyone Present Here Is Responsible"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "If we fail in quarantine, or if the quarantine causes difficulties for the people, everyone present here is responsible."

President Moon Jae-in said this at the special metropolitan area quarantine inspection meeting held at the Blue House on the 12th, according to spokesperson Park Kyung-mi.

This is a message urging the government and local governments to join forces to quickly and decisively end the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area. President Moon said, "Please work closely and diligently with the government and local governments to end the Level 4 social distancing quickly and decisively," adding, "The central government will provide sufficient personnel support, and local governments should make good use of this."

President Moon said, "We must actively operate joint inspection teams and strictly apply and enforce the 'one-strike-out' rule if quarantine rules are violated." Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said, "Level 4 social distancing is the last card, and we must definitely rein in the spread," adding, "Local governments must actively step up, and the public must cooperate to overcome this critical moment together."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Jeong Eun-kyeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, reported, "If the Level 4 measures, which are stronger than those during the third wave, are effective, a gradual decline is expected after one week, but due to the accumulated sources of infection over a long period and the increasing transmissibility of the Delta variant, the epidemic may continue for a considerable time."

Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol and Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol reported on securing residential treatment centers and additional deployment of infectious disease response officials. Minister Jeon said, "We will deploy 2,353 new public officials early for infectious disease response and plan to deploy 50,000 people from the Hope Work Support Project as private auxiliary personnel for quarantine support projects."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "Due to the increase in asymptomatic and mild cases mainly among young people, urgent reinforcement of the public medical system, including residential treatment centers and hospital beds, is necessary." Mayor Oh proposed a plan for national government support for out-of-pocket expenses for screening tests at private medical institutions during the two weeks of Level 4 application.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Commissioner Jeong responded, "Medical institutions are mainly where high-risk patients are hospitalized. While it is necessary to increase the number of tests in the future, we will prioritize expanding screening clinics to meet the increased demand for testing."

Mayor Oh requested an additional allocation of 1 million vaccine doses to start early vaccination for young people, saying, "Although the number of confirmed cases among young people is increasing, they are excluded from the vaccination priority."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung also requested, "When allocating vaccines for autonomous vaccination by city and province based on priority, the same criteria are applied to Level 4 and Level 1 areas, but considering the severity of Level 4 areas, please apply weighting."

Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun requested, "When allocating additional vaccines to the metropolitan area, please include Incheon, which has accepted the same social distancing level as Seoul and Gyeonggi despite having a higher incidence rate of confirmed cases." Commissioner Jeong said, "When supplying 3 million doses for autonomous vaccination by local governments, we will consider adjusting the supply timing to prioritize the metropolitan area."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Governor Lee requested additional support for personnel dispatched for specimen collection at temporary screening clinics and additional medical personnel for operating infectious disease-dedicated beds. Minister Kwon replied, "We will actively support appropriate personnel for specimen collection considering extended working hours at temporary screening clinics, workload of existing personnel, and the extent of testing."

Mayor Park said, "Although confirmed cases are rapidly increasing, there is concern about delays in epidemiological investigations due to a shortage of investigation personnel, and local governments have limitations in hiring private doctors on their own," requesting dispatch of central epidemiological investigators. Commissioner Jeong said, "If local governments request support, we will actively support within available limits."

Meanwhile, spokesperson Park said, "Governor Lee and Mayor Oh proposed expanding self-treatment, and Commissioner Jeong said that after practical review of the feasibility and management system of self-treatment, they will consult with local governments in the future."