Prime Minister Jeong: "If Everyone Does Not Participate in 'Social Distancing,' We Cannot Promise School Reopening"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 24th regarding the 'social distancing' campaign to end the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, "If everyone does not participate firmly, we cannot promise when we can send our children back to school."

Prime Minister Chung held a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) for COVID-19 response at the Government Complex Sejong on the same day and stated, "One person's negligence can inflict irreparable harm on someone else and can destroy the community."

He emphasized, "The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that 'Where you go can determine the life or death of others.'"

Prime Minister Chung continued, "Until April 5th, the government will mobilize all administrative power to implement strengthened social distancing," and added, "For our children, and for our community and the safety of the Republic of Korea, I earnestly ask for the active cooperation of all citizens once again."

He explained, "To prevent re-importation from overseas, from 0:00 on the 22nd, comprehensive testing of arrivals from Europe began. Ninety percent of arrivals from Europe are our returning nationals," and said, "This is not only a measure to protect the Republic of Korea from COVID-19 but also for our citizens returning from abroad."

He added, "Many agencies including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, local governments, and local residents have worked hard to secure temporary testing facilities where people can stay until their test results come out," and expressed, "Especially, the citizens of Asan once again provided facilities following the previous support for evacuees from Wuhan. I sincerely thank the city of Asan and its citizens for showing mature civic consciousness."

He also mentioned, "I understand that the process of accommodating and testing about 2,300 European arrivals in temporary facilities over two days was not smooth," and said, "Considering that strengthened measures for arrivals from other regions are under review, I believe it is necessary to prepare realistic improvement plans that our quarantine capacity can handle."

He urged, "Relevant ministries should take measures to minimize inconvenience and infection concerns caused by long waiting times at airports."

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