Park Neung-hoo: "Precarious Situation at a Crossroads of Large-scale Resurgence... Two Weeks of Non-face-to-face Society"

From Today, Seoul and Gyeonggi Enter Level 1.5... "All-Out Quarantine Efforts to Overcome Crisis Without Level 2 Measures"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] "The number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing, putting us at a critical point of a large-scale resurgence, a precarious situation."

On the 19th, Park Neung-hoo, the first head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ), commented on the domestic COVID-19 outbreak situation, saying, "The daily number of confirmed cases has risen back to the 300s for the first time in three months since the end of August."

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as of midnight on that day, there were 282 new domestic confirmed cases and 50 imported cases, totaling 343 confirmed cases. From today, social distancing level 1.5 will be implemented in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gwangju, and some areas of Gangwon Province.

Park emphasized, "Since last weekend, the number of confirmed cases has been rapidly increasing regardless of whether it is the metropolitan area or non-metropolitan areas," adding, "As the increase in cases with unknown infection routes shows, COVID-19 has deeply penetrated daily life, and there is no safe zone anywhere."

He expressed concern, saying, "Recently, it is not uncommon to see scenes in restaurants and pubs that seem to have returned to pre-COVID-19 conditions," and warned, "Fatigue and complacency toward quarantine measures could instantly wipe out the quarantine achievements we have made through our sacrifices and efforts."

The quarantine authorities urged society to make thorough efforts to maintain a non-face-to-face environment for the next two weeks starting today and to tighten vigilance once again.

Park said, "To prevent the social distancing level from rising any further, the next two weeks should be treated as an intensive quarantine period, and our entire society must respond with full force," adding, "December 3rd is the day of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), and it is time to unite efforts to ensure that children can focus on the exam in a safe environment."

He added, "Please refrain entirely from gatherings and drinking, and public institutions and private companies should avoid face-to-face meetings and business trips during this period, making maximum use of telecommuting and flexible working hours," and concluded, "We ask for strict adherence to quarantine rules so that we can overcome this crisis without resorting to level 2 measures, which would severely damage the livelihood economy."

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