Seoul City Sees Slowdown in COVID-19 Case Increase Trend... "Operation of Psychological Support Team"

As of 10 AM on the 4th, 1 more case than the previous day
"Not a situation to be relieved, but no signs of rapid increase"

City launches 'COVID19 Psychological Support Team'
Suicide Prevention Center Director leads with emergency medicine professors participating

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a temporary closure notice is posted at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 4th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As of 10 a.m. on the 4th, the total number of patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Seoul stood at 99, an increase of one from the previous day.

Since the first confirmed case on January 23, the number of COVID-19 cases in Seoul has steadily increased, but the recent upward trend appears to be slightly slowing down. On the 29th of last month, the number of confirmed cases increased by 12 in one day, but since the beginning of this month, the daily increases have gradually decreased to 9 on the 1st, 6 on the 2nd, and 6 on the 3rd.

Na Baek-ju, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizen Health Bureau, said, "It is not yet a situation to be relieved," but added, "Although the number of confirmed cases is decreasing in Seoul, we cannot let our guard down because there are confirmed cases with unclear infection routes."

Director Na further stated, "When examining whether infections occur among contacts after the initial confirmed case, there is a trend of decreasing percentages," and added, "There does not appear to be a possibility of a rapid increase in confirmed cases."

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will launch the 'COVID-19 Psychological Support Team' to reduce fear and anxiety related to COVID-19 and begin full-scale activities.

As confirmed cases increase nationwide, the team aims to reduce side effects caused by amplified psychological anxiety such as the spread of fake news, hoarding, and hate behaviors, and to support citizens' psychological stability and mental health.

The team is composed of experts including psychiatrist Kim Hyun-soo, head of the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center, emergency medicine and internal medicine professors, mental health specialists, and art therapists.

They plan to produce and distribute materials such as 'Mind Prescriptions' using card news, 'Fact Checks' to identify fake news, and 'Healing Letters,' heartfelt letters sent to citizens.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said, "Through the operation of the Psychological Support Team, we will strengthen not only physical quarantine measures but also psychological quarantine to help citizens overcome excessive fear and anxiety about COVID-19."

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