COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is speaking at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 15th. 2021.12.15 Photo by Yonhap News
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on the 15th, "We view the current quarantine situation very seriously and intend to implement stronger social distancing measures," adding, "We are reviewing measures that include further reductions in private gathering sizes and restrictions on business hours, and will finalize and announce them as soon as possible."
On the same day, Prime Minister Kim chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office and said, "If the (strengthened distancing) measures are implemented, we will also prepare appropriate compensation plans for small business owners and self-employed people who will have to endure hardship once again." The strengthened social distancing measures are expected to be announced as early as the 17th.
Prime Minister Kim expressed concern, saying, "Until the end of the year, which will be the biggest turning point of this wave, the government will prioritize 'securing hospital beds' and 'vaccinations' in quarantine efforts," adding, "The number of critically ill patients has been hitting record highs daily, and the medical response capacity has reached its limit."
He continued, "We will secure an additional 5,800 moderate to severe beds by the end of the year," and stated, "We will focus on expanding dedicated base hospitals that convert entire hospitals into COVID-19 beds in the metropolitan area." He also added, "To reduce the number of elderly patients waiting for beds, we will operate six additional infectious disease-dedicated nursing hospitals."
Prime Minister Kim also appealed again for vaccination participation. He said, "We will designate the remaining December as a focused period for third doses for the elderly and actively support seniors to receive vaccinations at nearby medical institutions without prior reservations."
Furthermore, he said, "Increasing the vaccination rate among adolescents is also an important goal," and added, "We will provide various conveniences for adolescents, such as allowing same-day vaccinations without prior reservations, school visit vaccinations, and linking vaccination medical institutions." As of this day, the first-dose reservation rate for adolescents aged 12 to 15 is about 56%.
Prime Minister Kim said, "Although we face crisis and difficulties again, we have found opportunities within the crisis," and added, "If every citizen joins forces, I am confident that we can overcome this critical moment and continue to restore daily life."
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