Health Authorities Inspect 233 Hospital-Level Medical Institutions
Preemptive Quarantine Measures Ordered for Facilities at Risk of Cluster Infections
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the number of new COVID-19 cases has once again exceeded 10,000 per day, the government has urged caution regarding the spread of variant viruses and the increase in infections due to increased travel during the summer vacation season.
Lee Ki-il, the 1st General Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), stated in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held on the morning of the 29th, "It is expected that the number of confirmed cases will exceed 10,000 for the first time in 20 days since the 9th, and the infection reproduction number, which had dropped to 0.7 at the end of April, has continued to rise and reached 1.0 yesterday," adding, "This is a time when more special caution is needed regarding COVID-19 during the summer."
The fact that the infection reproduction number has exceeded 1 means that the COVID-19 outbreak has shifted from a declining trend to an increasing trend. In Europe, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, the number of COVID-19 cases is already increasing due to the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 variant viruses and increased travel during the vacation season. Recently, the detection rate of the BA.5 virus among domestic confirmed cases is 7.5% for domestic infections and 32.8% for imported cases.
At the meeting, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters discussed the response system for mental health promotion facilities such as psychiatric hospitals and mental care facilities.
Lee, the 1st General Coordinator, said, "Mental health promotion facilities, like nursing hospitals and nursing facilities where elderly people reside, are vulnerable to group infections due to the characteristics of patients and residents," and added, "To proactively prevent group infections in these facilities, we will inspect the infection control operations of 233 hospital-level medical institutions and reorganize the response system, including bed allocation for confirmed cases, centered on local governments to strengthen on-site capabilities."
He instructed related ministries and local governments to take preemptive quarantine measures for facilities where group infections have frequently occurred.
Lee emphasized, "Based on past experience, management tailored to the characteristics of multi-use facilities such as correctional facilities, slaughterhouses, foreigner-dense facilities, academies, and religious facilities is necessary," and urged, "We ask all citizens to continue to comply with personal quarantine rules such as wearing indoor masks and regular ventilation anytime and anywhere."
Meanwhile, through the advance payment of the 2nd quarter loss compensation for self-employed and small business owners conducted until the 24th, the government delivered 1 million KRW each to 257,000 businesses including restaurants and cafes, totaling 257 billion KRW.
Lee expressed sincere gratitude to self-employed and small business owners who patiently endured social distancing measures implemented until April 18, stating, "To prepare for the prolonged battle with COVID-19, which seems likely to coexist in our daily lives for the time being, balancing quarantine measures and the livelihood economy is important."
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