Health Authorities: "WHO Emergency Measures Already Implemented... Additional Measures Under Review" (Comprehensive)

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (right), Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), is holding a press conference with Michael Ryan, Head of the Emergency Response Team, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 30th (local time).

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Cho Hyun-ui] After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC), domestic health authorities have effectively entered an all-out war footing. While health authorities are already taking measures equivalent to an emergency, attention is focused on whether they will unveil additional measures.

Immediately after WHO declared the emergency at an emergency committee meeting held at its Geneva office in Switzerland on the afternoon of the 30th (local time), health authorities began to act urgently. Jeong Hong-geun, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention participated in the emergency committee meeting and discussed the matter, and specific additional measures will be decided through consultations at the Central Disease Control Headquarters level."

The decisions made by the WHO committee are applied by each government comprehensively considering the domestic infectious disease transmission situation and existing measures. Our health authorities issued an infectious disease crisis alert at the caution level as the novel coronavirus spread within China. After the first confirmed case appeared domestically on the 20th, the alert was raised one level higher to caution, and with the occurrence of the fourth patient, it was elevated to the warning level. Issuing an infectious disease crisis alert at the warning level is the first time in 11 years since the 2009 novel influenza outbreak.

Domestically, the first secondary infection case?infected through contact with a confirmed patient without traveling to China?has emerged, and with the WHO declaring a state of emergency, our authorities cannot rule out the possibility of raising the crisis alert to the highest level, the severe stage. However, since WHO has not recommended trade or travel restrictions and still considers the situation controllable, excessive responses could cause unnecessary anxiety, so the stance remains cautious. Lee Seon-gyu, Director of International Cooperation in the Crisis Analysis Division at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "Health authorities are already responding proactively at a level equivalent to an emergency, and if there are areas to strengthen further, measures will be taken."

If the crisis alert is raised to the severe stage, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters can be activated. The Disaster and Safety Headquarters is headed by the Prime Minister or the Minister of the Interior and Safety, depending on the disaster situation. This means the scale of support for disaster response and post-disaster measures will be expanded. If a novel infectious disease imported from overseas spreads to the local community or nationwide, a severe stage alert can be issued, enabling a whole-of-government total response.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.