Mayor Lee Yong-seop Orders "Significant Strengthening of Coronavirus Response Measures"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, has ordered a significant strengthening of the response level to the novel coronavirus.

On the morning of the 3rd, Mayor Lee canceled the regular February assembly originally scheduled to be attended by numerous public officials and citizens, and instead held an executive meeting, instructing, "Mobilize all administrative power and community capabilities to protect Clean Gwangju and prevent any damage caused by the novel coronavirus in Gwangju."

The mayor said, "Elevate the Disaster Countermeasure Support Headquarters, which has been operating since the 29th of last month, to the Regional Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters with the mayor as the head. The countermeasure headquarters should notify citizens promptly of the novel coronavirus situation at least once daily via emergency disaster text messages to alleviate citizens' anxiety."

He also emphasized, "As of December last year, there are 2,605 Chinese international students in Gwangju, and measures for Chinese students returning after the Lunar New Year are urgently needed." He urged, "Hold a countermeasure meeting today chaired by the Deputy Mayor of Administration with local university officials attending to devise all necessary measures to block the influx of infected individuals by, for example, postponing the start of the semester for Chinese students and preventing the spread within the region."

He continued, "Actively cooperate and support related agencies to ensure the smooth operation of the 12 screening clinics and 12 nationally designated isolation beds operating in our region," adding, "I will personally inspect the sites today."

Furthermore, he said, "Quickly cooperate with related agencies to install and operate thermal scanners at Gwangju Songjeong Station, Gwangcheon Express Bus Terminal, and Gwangju Airport, which are gateways to Gwangju. Except for urgent cases, please postpone or refrain from city and district events where large crowds gather, as well as public facility rentals."

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