Government Maintains Current Crisis Alert Level at 'Warning'... Plans to Deploy Third Flight (Comprehensive)

From the 12th, 'Self-Diagnosis App' Fully Implemented... Additional Review Depending on Entry Restriction Measures Situation

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] The government has decided to maintain the current crisis alert level for the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) at 'Warning.' Additionally, it plans to deploy a third temporary flight as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun presided over the 'Expanded Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) Meeting for Novel Coronavirus Response' at the government Seoul office video conference room on the afternoon of the 9th and stated, "After comprehensive consideration, we have decided to maintain the current crisis alert level."

Prime Minister Chung explained, "After gathering opinions from relevant ministries and experts and making a sober judgment of the current situation, we considered that all confirmed cases so far have been managed within the government's quarantine network, the novel coronavirus has a low fatality rate, and our medical system is capable of responding."

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

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

He continued, "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," and emphasized, "We will also consider additional entry restrictions on other high-risk areas within China where many patients are occurring, depending on the situation."

Prime Minister Chung also expressed his intention to deploy temporary flights to evacuate Korean residents and their families staying in Wuhan. He said, "We will do our best to protect every one of our compatriots remaining in Wuhan," and "The government is pushing forward with plans to promptly deploy temporary flights to safely bring them back to Korea."

He urged, "Relevant ministries should carefully handle consultations with Chinese authorities, explanations to related local governments, and thorough quarantine measures."

Prime Minister Chung also decided to prepare measures to respond to community transmission and spread. He said, "Going forward, it is important not only for the public sector but also for the private sector to identify available medical resources within the community in advance and deploy them appropriately when necessary," adding, "The government is preparing phased plans to effectively utilize medical resources, such as securing more than 900 nationally designated negative pressure treatment beds, up from the current 198. Local governments should establish an all-out readiness by mobilizing not only public health centers but also administrative personnel and material resources."

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