64% of Gyeonggi Province Residents Feel More Fear of Novel Coronavirus Than MERS

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Residents of Gyeonggi Province have been found to feel greater fear of the novel coronavirus than of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2015.

They also expressed the strongest desire for definite and prompt isolation treatment of infected and suspected cases, along with real-time disclosure of the exact movement paths of confirmed patients.

Gyeonggi Province conducted a public opinion survey on the 'Novel Coronavirus Infection' targeting 1,000 residents over two days from the 30th to 31st of last month, and announced the results on the 9th.

The results showed that residents most wished for definite and prompt isolation treatment of infected and suspected cases (88 respondents). Additionally, many respondents favored ▲ real-time sharing of the exact movement paths of suspected and confirmed cases (77 respondents) ▲ support of masks, sanitizers, soap, etc., at public facilities (77 respondents) ▲ installation of thermal imaging cameras and strengthened disinfection in crowded places such as public venues and transportation facilities (72 respondents) ▲ promotion and education of preventive measures through various media (66 respondents) ▲ restrictions on entry of Chinese nationals, visitors from China, and ethnic Koreans from China (61 respondents) ▲ maintenance of personal cleanliness (57 respondents).

Sixty-four percent of respondents reported feeling more fearful of the novel coronavirus infection than of MERS, which had spread nationwide in 2015. Furthermore, 90% of residents considered the virus spread to be a 'very serious situation.'

For reference, since the first confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection on the 19th of last month until the end of the survey on the 31st, 11 confirmed cases occurred nationwide, and as of the 10th of this month, the number of confirmed cases has increased to 27.

Regarding the government's current response to prevent the spread of the infection, 59% of residents answered that it is being handled well.

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province will continue to implement more robust measures to prevent and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, along with accurate information disclosure in the future."

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