President Moon: "Final Hurdle to Block COVID Until Vaccines and Treatments Are Available" (Comprehensive)

Blue House Senior Secretary and Advisor Meeting Urges Cooperation in COVID-19 Prevention... "This Is a More Critical Crisis Than Ever, Voluntary Practice Is Essential"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 7th, President Moon Jae-in presided over a meeting with senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House and stated, "The government recognizes this as the last critical moment to block the spread of COVID-19 until vaccines and treatments become available, and we will devote all our efforts to quarantine measures with extraordinary determination."

President Moon said, "If we fail to quickly cut off the chain of COVID-19 spread and it escalates into an uncontrollable nationwide pandemic, it will inevitably cause severe damage to public safety and people's livelihoods."

President Moon explained, "Following the consecutive elevation of social distancing levels on the 19th and 24th of last month, we are once again raising the social distancing level in the metropolitan area to 2.5 within two weeks. This decision is based on the judgment that the previous increases in distancing levels and strengthened quarantine measures have not been effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon conveyed, "Despite the strengthened quarantine measures, we have not been able to curb the spread of COVID-19, and by raising the level again, we are causing greater burden and inconvenience to the people, for which I feel very sorry and heavy-hearted."

President Moon said, "We have overcome several crises of COVID-19 spread before, but this is a more serious crisis than ever. Invisible infections and transmissions are rapidly spreading in everyday spaces, and the number of confirmed cases with unknown infection routes is increasing. If the current upward trend continues, we cannot help but worry about the increased burden on the medical system, including hospital beds and medical personnel."

President Moon emphasized, "I cannot help but once again urge the public to follow the strengthened quarantine rules. Since transmission is occurring unknowingly within everyday living spaces, the voluntary practice of each individual is especially crucial at this time. Simply adhering well to basic quarantine measures such as wearing masks and avoiding close contact can prevent the spread of infection."

President Moon said, "I would like to make a special appeal to the people as we approach Christmas and the year-end holidays. Last Chuseok, although we could not meet physically, we united our hearts to support quarantine efforts during the holiday. Now, an even greater mindset is required. While there may be many people to meet and places to visit, I earnestly ask you to refrain from gatherings and travel as much as possible to help with quarantine efforts."

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