President Moon: "Measures Needed to Manage Overload of Quarantine Workers"

Metropolitan Leaders Including Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon Attend State Council Meeting... Mayor Park Says "Mask Supply Information Should Be Shared with Local Governments"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the morning of the 4th, President Moon Jae-in presided over a Cabinet meeting regarding the 'Novel Coronavirus Infection (Wuhan Pneumonia)' and said, "Measures must also be prepared for managing situations where quarantine workers are continuously overloaded," adding, "All quarantine personnel should be integrated and managed as one, prioritized to be supported where most needed, and active collaboration with private experts should be sought."

President Moon said, "Because this is a novel infectious disease, it is important for the nation to mobilize all resources with an all-out response system and to gather all capabilities including the central government and local governments, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, academic societies, private experts, and the medical community," emphasizing this point.

President Moon added, "Appropriate role division is also necessary. The heavy workload must be shared among the limited medical personnel," and said, "Please manage the division of labor system well among local medical centers, public health centers, nationally designated inpatient beds, and hospitals."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, President Moon stated, "While the government maintains an all-out response system, it is necessary to prevent the public from feeling excessive anxiety or fear," and said, "Private experts need to share accurate information and participate sufficiently in discussions." He emphasized, "The impact on the economy should be promptly assessed by industry and transmission routes, and preemptive measures must be taken."

At the Cabinet meeting that day, ministries also reported on the current status and response measures for the novel coronavirus. The Ministry of Health and Welfare reported on strengthening measures to block domestic inflow, enhancing measures to prevent community transmission, strengthening preparedness for community spread, and support plans for Wuhan evacuees. The Ministry of Economy and Finance reported that it will do its utmost to support affected sectors where ripple effects occur and secure momentum for economic recovery by analyzing impacts by industry.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Also attending the Cabinet meeting were Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, Chungnam Province Governor Yang Seung-jo, and Chungbuk Province Governor Lee Si-jong. Mayor Park suggested, "For smooth local government response, it is necessary to share information on mask supply status with local governments, and close cooperation between the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and cities/provinces, such as mutual dispatch of epidemiological investigators, is needed."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung proposed thorough management of mask supply and cooperation between the central government and local governments to deal with those who do not comply with self-quarantine. Chungnam Province Governor Yang Seung-jo requested support for residents around temporary living facilities and attention from the central government to the ongoing Asan visit campaign. Chungbuk Province Governor Lee Si-jong asked to "pay attention to the sale of agricultural products from Eumseong and Jincheon" and also proposed support for residents due to the acceptance of temporary living facilities.

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