Prime Minister Jeong: "Maintain Current Crisis Alert Level... 추진 for Additional Flights" (Update)

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 9th regarding the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), "After comprehensive consideration, we have decided to maintain the current crisis alert level."

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in the afternoon, Prime Minister Chung said, "After gathering opinions from related ministries and experts and making a sober judgment on the current situation, we considered that all confirmed cases so far are being managed within the government's quarantine network, the fatality rate of the novel coronavirus is low, and our medical system is capable of responding," explaining the decision.

The government raised the infectious disease crisis alert level from 'Caution' to 'Warning' at the end of last month after the fourth confirmed case was reported domestically. However, some argue that the alert level should be elevated from the current 'Warning' to 'Serious.'

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "The government is fighting with the determination to protect all citizens at home and abroad from the novel coronavirus."

The government plans to closely monitor the overseas situation and devise additional measures. Prime Minister Chung mentioned, "The risk of importation will inevitably continue unless the situation in China and other countries abroad calms down. Starting from the 12th, we will officially implement a self-diagnosis application (app) to monitor the health status of those entering from China."

He added, "We will strengthen quarantine for entrants from major countries where community infections have occurred outside China and provide travel history to medical institutions to detect suspected patients early. We will also consider additional entry restrictions on other high-risk areas within China where many patients have occurred, depending on the situation."

Prime Minister Chung also expressed his intention to deploy a third temporary flight to evacuate Korean residents and their families staying in Wuhan.

He stated, "We will do our best to protect every one of our compatriots remaining in Wuhan. The government is pushing forward with plans to promptly deploy temporary flights to safely bring them back to Korea."

He urged, "Related ministries should meticulously handle consultations with Chinese authorities, explanations to relevant local governments, and thorough quarantine measures."

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