"Discussion on Raising Social Distancing to Level 2 in the Seoul Metropolitan Area"... Considering Suspension of 8 Major Consumer Coupons if Upgraded

As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection reached 330, maintaining the 300s for five consecutive days, the Sinchon area in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, showed a quiet scene on the 22nd. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 22nd, "We will discuss at today's meeting the plan to proactively adjust social distancing to level 2 in the Seoul metropolitan area and level 1.5 in the Honam region."

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 held at the Government Seoul Office Building that day, Prime Minister Chung stated, "Confirmed cases are occurring simultaneously across all aspects of daily life, putting us at a critical point of large-scale spread, an imminent situation."

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases has remained in the 300s for five consecutive days. As of midnight on the 22nd, the number of confirmed domestic COVID-19 cases was 330. There were 302 domestic cases and 28 imported cases, with a cumulative total of 30,733 confirmed cases.

The government plans to review whether to suspend the eight major consumption coupons currently operated to stimulate the domestic economy if social distancing is raised to level 2. The plan is to continue the coupons at level 1.5 and reconsider them at level 2.

There is also a proposal to differentiate the use of coupons by type. One option is to restrict only coupons for lodging and travel, which maximize people's movement and contact, or to restrict all coupons except for specific ones. During the resurgence in August, the government restricted the use of all coupons except for agricultural and marine products coupons.

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