Prime Minister Jeong: "Considering Strong Measures if Itaewon Visitors Are Uncooperative"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 11th regarding the cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that occurred at an Itaewon club in Seoul, "The top priority right now is to contain the spread of infections in the metropolitan area to the minimum possible extent."

Prime Minister Chung chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 held at the Government Seoul Office and said, "We must quickly identify the thousands of estimated visitors and conduct diagnostic tests."

He instructed, "Local governments should deploy maximum personnel to identify visitors in the shortest possible time, and the National Police Agency should actively respond to cooperation requests from related organizations."

He continued, "Time is of the essence, but a significant number of people still cannot be contacted, and the testing rate is less than half."

He then earnestly appealed, "To those who visited Itaewon around the same time, I sincerely ask once again. If you hesitate for even a day, our daily life clock may stop for a month."

He especially emphasized, "If cooperation is delayed, the government will have no choice but to consider stronger measures for the safety of all."

Prime Minister Chung concluded by saying, "Tomorrow is International Nurses Day, which honors nurses' contributions to society. Ahead of Nurses Day, I express my respect and gratitude to all our nurses who are selflessly dedicating themselves on the frontlines against COVID-19 without taking care of themselves."

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