President Moon: "Starting Tomorrow, Social Distancing in Non-Capital Areas Will Be Uniformly Raised to Level 3" (Comprehensive)

Presiding over the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting... "Capital Region and Non-Capital Region United, Nationwide All-Out Response System"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the afternoon of the 25th, President Moon Jae-in chaired the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19' meeting at the National Crisis Management Center and said, "Starting tomorrow, we will implement strengthened quarantine measures, including uniformly raising the social distancing level to Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas. I thank the heads of local governments who have cooperated and made decisions to build a strong and meticulous quarantine network."

President Moon said, "The most concerning recent issue is the spread in non-metropolitan areas. Along with the balloon effect caused by strengthened social distancing in the metropolitan area and increased movement centered on vacation spots, the proportion of confirmed cases in non-metropolitan areas has exceeded 35%, showing a clear pattern of nationwide spread."

President Moon stated, "The infection pattern is not centered on specific facilities or groups but is spreading sporadically and widely through facilities and gatherings used in daily life. The proportion of highly active age groups is high, making control more difficult than ever before," and emphasized, "This is a critical time when the government and local governments must concentrate all quarantine capabilities and administrative power, and the people must unite to wage an all-out battle."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Explaining the reason for extending the Level 4 social distancing in the metropolitan area for another two weeks, President Moon expressed, "I am very sorry and saddened that the painful time the people must endure is becoming longer." However, he evaluated, "Although the high-intensity measures over the past two weeks did not calm the spread, they were able to somewhat suppress the rapid increase in confirmed cases."

President Moon emphasized that the metropolitan area, non-metropolitan areas, government, and local governments must unite and respond with a nationwide, all-out national effort system.

President Moon said, "Please strengthen on-site inspections of high-risk areas and facilities such as vacation spots and multi-use facilities in multiple layers, and strictly crack down on violations of quarantine rules," adding, "The leading role of local governments is more important than ever."

President Moon pledged the swift execution of the supplementary budget passed by the National Assembly plenary session. He said, "As quarantine measures are extended and strengthened, concerns for small business owners and self-employed people come first," and pledged, "We will do our utmost to calm this situation as soon as possible and normalize livelihoods."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also conveyed the COVID-19 vaccination plan. President Moon said, "Starting tomorrow, vaccination for people in their 50s will begin, and vaccination will gain full momentum," adding, "We are quickly supplementing the shortcomings of the vaccine reservation system. Preparations are underway to ensure that reservations for those under 40 scheduled for August proceed without problems."

President Moon expressed gratitude to the Fire Agency and Police Agency for providing rest places through recovery vehicles and mobile buses and urged that sufficient rest time and rest spaces be provided to quarantine medical staff and public officials.

Furthermore, President Moon said, "Mobilizing the military, police, and public officials temporarily or using temporary workers whenever an outbreak occurs has inherent limitations and cannot be sustained for a long time," and requested, "Please unite strong will to prepare fundamental measures together with the central government and local governments, such as expanding public medical personnel including public health center nursing staff and strengthening public healthcare."

Meanwhile, the meeting chaired by President Moon was attended by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hae, as well as ministers of government departments and governors of cities and provinces nationwide. At the Blue House, key aides including Chief Secretary Yoo Young-min, National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, and Policy Office Director Lee Ho-seung were also present.