Government "Increased Chuseok Travel... Concerns Over Nationwide Spread of COVID-19"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] The government expressed concern that 80% of COVID-19 confirmed cases are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, and that the infection could spread nationwide as the infection source in the metropolitan area follows the large-scale population movement during Chuseok to non-metropolitan areas.

Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said on the 19th, "During this Chuseok holiday period, an increase in movement of about 3.5% compared to last year is expected, raising serious concerns about the nationwide spread of infections from the metropolitan area," and urged, "Please refrain from traveling and minimize gathering times."

Minister Jeon stated, "The number of confirmed cases on this day was in the early 1900s, and over the past week (from the 12th to the 18th), the average daily number of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area was 1,384, showing a continuous increase in scale," adding, "The proportion of confirmed cases also reached 77.8%, the highest since the second week of July."

He also noted, "The number of people in self-quarantine has reached about 118,000, nearly a 40% increase compared to the early stages of the fourth wave," and added, "The local government officials responsible for related tasks number about 63,000 and are operating 24 hours a day."

Furthermore, the government plans to maximize the vaccination capacity of 282 vaccination centers nationwide and approximately 14,000 entrusted medical institutions to accelerate the vaccination speed.

Minister Jeon said, "Currently, about 43% of the population has completed vaccination, but with the vaccination completion rate of seniors aged 60 and over exceeding 86%, if the second dose vaccination for 19.76 million people aged 18 to 49, which will be fully underway from October, proceeds steadily, it is expected that vaccination completion for about 70% of the entire population can be sufficiently achieved by the end of October."

He emphasized, "The government, which is considering continuous expansion of incentives for those who have completed vaccination, will not only ease social distancing measures but also enhance public convenience by continuously improving the functions of the electronic vaccination certificate COOV app and strengthening the linkage between electronic certificates and passport information."