Prime Minister Jeong Holds Meeting with Infectious Disease Society Leaders: "Must Prepare for Smooth School Opening"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held a meeting on the 23rd at the Government Seoul Office with representatives of domestic infectious disease-related academic societies to hear experts' opinions on the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the Prime Minister's Office announced.

Attending the meeting were Yeom Ho-gi, President of the Korean Society for Patient Safety; Baek Kyung-ran, Chairperson of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases; Kim Jong-hyun, President of the Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases; Gam Shin, Chairperson of the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine; Hong Sung-jin, President of the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine; Kim Dong-hyun, President of the Korean Society of Epidemiology; and Song Young-gu, President of the Korean Society for Healthcare-associated Infection Control, among others.

This meeting was arranged in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, following the government's recommendation to implement high-intensity social distancing for fifteen days (from the 22nd to April 5th) as an extraordinary measure to block the inflow and spread of COVID-19. It aimed to conduct an interim review of the government's response so far and to discuss the preparations the government should make in terms of quarantine during the high-intensity social distancing period ahead of school reopening and other events.

At the outset, Prime Minister Chung expressed deep gratitude for the significant assistance received from academic experts throughout the quarantine process.

He especially conveyed thanks for the experts' help in establishing residential treatment centers when hospital beds were insufficient, which allowed patients in difficult situations in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions to access hospital care.

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "Due to COVID-19, school openings have been postponed three times. While respecting the right to education, it is not easy to continue postponing school openings due to practical difficulties such as childcare issues. For now, we must implement high-intensity social distancing for 15 days and prepare to ensure that school reopening on April 6 proceeds without disruption."

He also requested cooperation, saying, "Since the overall situation continues to change, I ask academic experts to provide much assistance so that the government can properly identify what needs to be done and fulfill its role."

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