Jeon Hae-cheol: "KCTU's General Strike Enforcement Threatens Stabilizing Quarantine Situation... Zero Tolerance Response"

Average Daily COVID-19 Cases in the Past Week Decrease for 3 Consecutive Weeks After Chuseok Holiday... Cumulative Fatality Rate Also Continues to Decline
Foreign COVID-19 Cases Account for 20% of Total for 3 Consecutive Weeks... "Concerns Over Infection Spread"
"Daily Life Recovery Strategy to Be Established and Explained to the Public This Month"

Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), is delivering opening remarks during a video conference of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on COVID-19 quarantine measures and vaccination progress on the morning of the 20th at the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room in Government Sejong 2 Complex, Sejong City.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), urged the withdrawal of the plan, calling the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' (KCTU) general strike a decision that threatens the hard-won stable quarantine situation.

On the 20th, Deputy Head Jeon said in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting, "The KCTU's nationwide general strike announcement threatens the quarantine situation, which has been moving toward stability with difficulty, and could shatter expectations for the recovery of daily life," adding, "Considering the quarantine efforts accumulated so far, please withdraw the general strike plan." He also added, "We will respond strictly with a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal acts."

Regarding the recent confirmed case situation, he assessed that there has been a decline for three consecutive weeks and that the cumulative fatality rate is continuously decreasing.

Deputy Head Jeon said, "The daily number of confirmed cases over the past week was 1,480, showing a decline for three consecutive weeks since the Chuseok holiday," and "The infection reproduction number has remained below 1 for two consecutive weeks across all regions except the Gyeongnam area, and the cumulative fatality rate is also continuously decreasing at 0.78%." However, he explained, "Although visible effects from the increase in vaccination rates have been confirmed, the scale of confirmed cases is not rapidly decreasing."

He expressed concern about the scale of confirmed cases among foreigners. Deputy Head Jeon said, "The number of confirmed cases among foreigners has exceeded 20% of the total confirmed cases for three consecutive weeks, but the vaccination completion rate remains at about 49%, raising concerns," adding, "We will continue focused quarantine inspections and proactive mass testing measures targeting workplaces employing foreigners, and actively promote vaccination for international students and construction site workers."

Regarding the phased recovery of daily life, he announced that preparations are underway centered on four subcommittees, and detailed information will be explained within this month. As of the 19th, the vaccination rate was 66.7%, with a completion rate of 77.6% among adults aged 18 and over, and 90.3% among seniors aged 60 and above.

Deputy Head Jeon said, "We are approaching the path of phased recovery of daily life," adding, "Preparations are being made centered on the four subcommittees of the Daily Life Recovery Support Committee launched last week. We will prepare a revised social distancing plan that comprehensively considers vaccination completion rates and medical response capacity, and establish a daily life recovery strategy covering all fields including economy, society, quarantine, and medical care. Detailed information will be explained to the public in October."