Jeonbuk Province Completely Suspends Operation of Cafeterias Used by 700 People Daily

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Jeonbuk Province has decided to completely suspend the operation of the government office cafeteria, which is used by about 700 people daily, to revitalize the local commercial district that has been stagnated due to COVID-19.

On the 20th, Jeonbuk Province announced that it will suspend the operation of the cafeteria for the time being to revitalize the stagnant local economy amid the contraction of the domestic economy, as various local economic indicators have been declining due to COVID-19, and small business owners and self-employed workers in the province, such as the dining industry and traditional markets, are facing increasing management difficulties.

The suspension of cafeteria operations follows a special measure based on the need to fully suspend cafeteria operations to enable the normalization of restaurants around the government office. Since the end of February, the cafeteria has been closed every Friday, and a weekday system for using external restaurants twice a week by 16 offices, bureaus, and headquarters in the main government building has been operated, but to ensure the rapid economic recovery of small business owners, a full suspension of cafeteria operations is necessary.

Instead, the remodeling and repair construction of the cafeteria, originally scheduled for the second half of the year for employee welfare, will be advanced and carried out.

Jeonbuk Province also plans to actively encourage the use of restaurants by introducing a prepayment system for business promotion expenses to support the early recovery of dining demand for local dining establishments, allowing departments to hold meetings and business consultations at external restaurants.

Furthermore, the province plans to revitalize the local commercial district by promptly using Onnuri gift certificates worth approximately 330 million won, jointly purchased and distributed by the government office and the civil servants' labor union.

Previously, Jeonbuk Province had flexibly operated by setting different lunch hours for each department to allow the use of restaurants not only near the government office but also in other areas, and actively participated in social distancing campaigns such as one-way dining.

Along with this, Governor Song Ha-jin and the administrative and political vice governors have been visiting local restaurants visited by confirmed COVID-19 patients in relay since the end of February, when the movement paths of confirmed cases were disclosed, to alleviate residents' anxiety and revive the collapsed consumer sentiment.

Governor Song Ha-jin said, “Our province is thoroughly implementing quarantine measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for the safety of residents while doing our best to restore economic activities. We will actively implement measures to revive the local economy, which is in crisis due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and strive to bring forward the day when residents can smile even one day sooner.”

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