Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok Urges Everyone to Participate in Quarantine Measures

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, appealed for vigilance and participation in quarantine efforts.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 16th, Governor Kim said in an emergency announcement that “There may be a difficult situation where we have to raise the social distancing level due to the increasing number of confirmed cases with unknown infection routes,” adding, “There are many cases where the infection route is not identified.”

From the 7th, a total of 61 confirmed cases occurred over 10 days in the eastern region including Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang, and Hwasun.

As of 11 a.m. on the day, 20 people in total were confirmed in Suncheon since the 7th. Starting from a Shinhan Bank branch, the virus spread to bank employees, their families, and visitors, resulting in 9 positive cases, and an additional 11 cases were confirmed at Agu Village restaurant, Waterpia fitness center, and sauna.

The province plans to strengthen quarantine rules and actively consider business restrictions for indoor sports facilities such as saunas and fitness centers in Suncheon.

In Gwangyang, a female employee at Sungkwang Enterprise was confirmed positive, infecting colleagues and family members, followed by secondary infections among shopping center workers, related companies, quick service workers, restaurants, cafes, and hair salons, totaling 37 confirmed cases.

In Hwasun County, after a caregiver at a senior welfare center was initially confirmed positive, 4 others including spouse, children, and coworkers were infected. So far, 281 diagnostic tests have been conducted with no additional confirmed cases to date.

Governor Kim stated, “We are fully responding at the provincial level, recognizing the seriousness of the current situation,” and explained, “We are focusing on tracing the infection source with the operation of the ‘Epidemiological Investigation Joint Cooperation T/F Team’ in the recently affected areas and support from the Central Disease Control Headquarters’ active response team.”

Regarding Suncheon, Gwangyang, and Yeosu, where social distancing has been raised to level 1.5, he urged, “Strengthen social distancing by recommending the closure of social welfare facilities and limiting participation in gatherings and events to fewer than 100 people,” and requested, “Make core quarantine rules mandatory in restaurants and cafes larger than 50㎡.”

He continued, “A common point in recent confirmed cases is that people mistook suspicious symptoms for a cold and continued daily activities, leading to further spread,” emphasizing, “If you have symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat, or muscle pain, you must immediately get a free diagnostic test.”

He also said, “Due to concerns about secondary infections, residents should practice social distancing of at least 2 meters and wear masks at all times,” and added, “Refrain from private gatherings and year-end parties until January next year, and companies and workplaces should provide paid leave for employees with cold symptoms to monitor their condition and cooperate.”

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