Kim Jong-in: "The government must not repeat the mistake of easing quarantine measures based solely on the number of confirmed cases"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, urged the government to disclose not only the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases but also the daily number of tests and the positivity rate.

According to the People Power Party on the 8th, Chairman Kim said at the 'COVID-19 Countermeasures Special Committee' held online the previous day, "The government must not repeat the mistake of simply looking at the trend of confirmed cases and loosening quarantine measures by designating tourism coupons or temporary holidays."

Chairman Kim continued, "Managing asymptomatic cases with unknown infection routes is the biggest challenge in overcoming COVID-19," and emphasized, "More transparent and detailed information disclosure by the government is necessary to restore trust in policies and gain public cooperation."

He also criticized, "The government is politically exploiting COVID-19 by shifting responsibility to specific groups such as religious communities, causing division." He added, "Hasty measures only fuel public conflict," and requested, "Since the public is relying solely on the government, please prepare detailed manuals for each scenario and disseminate them to the field."

Floor leader Joo Ho-young also sharply criticized, "The public cooperates well with quarantine measures, but the government takes this for granted and sometimes shifts the responsibility for quarantine onto the people."

At the meeting led by Special Committee Chairman Shin Sang-jin, members emphasized the necessity of a 'National Sample Survey on COVID-19 Antibody Prevalence.' The special committee pointed out, "Conducting antibody prevalence surveys with about 20,000 samples nationwide, stratified by region, class, and age, is fundamental and essential for preparing future response measures," and criticized, "Although eight months have passed since the outbreak of COVID-19, the government has not conducted an accurate investigation into community infection."

The special committee plans to urge the government to conduct the COVID-19 antibody prevalence survey and to announce detailed and accurate results.

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