Park Neung-hoo: "Initiating 3-step review... Last chance to prevent raising social distancing"(Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The government emphasized that if the current spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, it will be inevitable to raise social distancing to level 3, and public cooperation such as refraining from going out is necessary. Currently, the metropolitan area is at level 2.5, and non-metropolitan areas are at level 2.

Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said at a regular briefing on the 13th, "If the current spread continues, raising to level 3 is inevitable to prevent the collapse of the medical system, which is reaching its limit."

On the day when the number of new confirmed cases exceeded 1,000 for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Korea, Deputy Head Park said, "The government will start reviewing the possibility of raising to level 3 by gathering opinions from local governments such as the metropolitan area and related experts in preparation for any situation," emphasizing, "Now is the last chance to prevent raising social distancing to level 3."

Average Daily Local Transmission Cases Rise from 400s to 600s in One Week

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the average daily local transmission cases for the week from the 6th of this month to the previous day were 662, nearly 200 more than the previous week (487.7). Among these, the average daily confirmed cases in the metropolitan area were 494.4, accounting for about 75% of the total.

The government views that raising social distancing to level 3 will inevitably impact the livelihood economy. Deputy Head Park said, "Level 3 social distancing is a last resort and will cause widespread damage to the livelihood economy," adding, "It will be an unbearable pain for self-employed and small business owners who have endured long-term commercial damage."

In fact, if the social distancing level is raised to level 3, about 200 multi-use or business facilities nationwide are expected to be affected. At level 3, gatherings and events of 10 or more people are prohibited, and the operation of all multi-use facilities except essential facilities will be suspended.

Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Division of the Central Accident Response Headquarters, explained, "According to the manual, about 450,000 facilities will be subject to closure, and 1.57 million facilities will have operational restrictions," adding, "In the metropolitan area, about 210,000 facilities will be closed, and 690,000 facilities will have operational restrictions, totaling about 900,000."

On the 11th, citizens are waiting for diagnostic tests at the screening clinic of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the 11th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 689 from the previous day to 40,786. Following 682 cases the day before, the number remained in the high 600s for the third consecutive day. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Considering Level 3 Card... No Change in Metropolitan Area Mobility

The issue is that stronger measures than the current manual may be implemented. Deputy Head Son said, "If the large-scale COVID-19 spread continues strongly as it is, there is a possibility of considering stronger measures," adding, "Considering cluster infection trends and epidemic characteristics, higher-risk facilities may be subject to more stringent measures."

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, despite the increase in social distancing levels, mobility in the metropolitan area last week showed almost no change compared to the previous week.

Deputy Head Park said, "Now, people should avoid using crowded, enclosed facilities and places where close contact occurs," raising his voice, "Any meeting or place carries a risk of infection."

He added, "Small gatherings are no exception. Even meeting family and acquaintances can be risky," appealing, "Removing masks even briefly can be dangerous, so please always wear them indoors."

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