On the 1st of Next Month, the First Public Hearing on 'With Corona' for Daily Life Recovery Will Be Held

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] A public hearing to discuss the blueprint for phased daily recovery, that is, the transition to 'with COVID-19,' will be held next month.

Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) quarantine general team, stated at a regular briefing on the 28th, "There will be about two public hearings in October, one in the first week and another around mid-month."

Park said, "We will go through a process that sufficiently reflects the opinions of experts and stakeholders and helps establish our (phased) daily recovery plan," adding, "The specific schedule will be announced soon."

The first public discussion will be held on the 1st of next month from 1 to 4 p.m. at El Tower in Yangjae-dong, Seoul.

Professors Kim Yoon from Seoul National University College of Medicine, Lee Jae-gap from Hallym University College of Medicine, and Yoon Tae-ho from Pusan National University College of Medicine will present on the timing, goals, and plans for phased daily recovery.

Yi Yoon-sung, president of the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute; Joo Won, director of Hyundai Research Institute; Noh Hwa-bong, center director of the Small Enterprise and Market Service; Park Yu-mi, director of Seoul City; Lim Seung-kwan, director of Anseong Hospital of Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center; Kang Yang-gu, TBS reporter; Kang Jeong-hwa, president of the Korea Consumer Federation; Park Hyang, head of CDSCH quarantine general team; and Bae Kyung-taek, head of the Situation General Team of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will continue discussions on various plans.

Although recent confirmed cases exceed 2,000, the government is preparing to proceed with the plan to move toward with COVID-19.

The government evaluates that the COVID-19 vaccination rate, a key condition for daily recovery, is rapidly increasing, and major quarantine indicators such as severe cases, deaths, and fatality rates are being managed stably.

Accordingly, the government plans to form a 'COVID-19 Daily Recovery Committee' centered on the Prime Minister to create a roadmap for daily recovery.

Regarding the committee formation, Park explained, "It will proceed through public consensus," adding, "It will be composed of four major areas: economy and livelihood, education and culture, autonomy and safety, and quarantine and medical fields."

He said, "Until now, discussions mainly focused on quarantine or medical responses such as 'social distancing,' along with livelihood issues, but this time we are preparing to establish plans by sufficiently reflecting the opinions of experts and stakeholders from various fields."

He further added, "It will be conducted through a comprehensive and broad opinion-gathering process."

Regarding how to set criteria for easing business restrictions for self-employed and small business owners in the future, Park responded, "The easing of business restrictions will be decided in terms of specific timing and methods during the overall discussion of the phased daily recovery plan."

He continued, "For now, we will soon prepare and announce through the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) how social distancing in October will be handled," adding, "We will provide guidance after sufficiently gathering opinions on the subsequent parts."

The government is also reviewing various follow-up measures after the social distancing measures end on the 3rd of next month.

Considering the recent spread, it is not easy to ease the current measures (Level 4 in the metropolitan area, Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas).

Park said, "Discussions on social distancing to be implemented in October are currently underway," adding, "This can be seen as a preliminary step toward phased daily recovery."

He said, "There seem to be many factors to consider. We will gather more opinions during this week and, after the CDSCH meeting, provide the final adjustment plan," withholding further details.