Prime Minister Jeong: "Opening School Doors is Directly Linked to Safety... Must Approach Carefully"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 16th, "Opening the doors of schools is directly related to the safety of our children, so we must approach it with a conservative and cautious attitude."

On the same day, Prime Minister Chung chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Government Complex Sejong and stated, "In the case of Singapore, after reopening schools for in-person classes, there were outbreaks of cluster infections, and schools were pointed out as hotspots for the spread of infection. As a result, they switched back to online classes in just two weeks. We should take this as a lesson."

Prime Minister Chung said, "Regardless of the timing of reopening schools, the quarantine environment in schools must be prepared in advance," and instructed, "The Ministry of Education should gather opinions on the timing and methods of reopening schools together with related organizations and local communities, and expedite improvements to the school quarantine environment."

Regarding the online opening of schools for 4th to 6th graders in elementary schools and 1st to 2nd graders in middle and high schools nationwide starting today, he urged, "The Ministry of Education and related organizations should remain vigilant and respond immediately to requests for assistance from the field while preparing for emergency situations."

Prime Minister Chung also evaluated, "The 21st National Assembly election was conducted in a safe quarantine environment without major incidents."

He added, "The citizens maintained safety distance at polling stations, wore plastic gloves after hand sanitization, and strictly followed quarantine rules," and expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank the people who made a safe election possible through their high civic consciousness of consideration and solidarity."

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