Prime Minister Jeong: "Cannot Rule Out Raising to Level 3 Depending on Situation" (Update)

"Securing Hospital Beds Is the Top Priority in Quarantine... Mobilize All Administrative Power"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 16th, "The government is making every effort to properly implement the current social distancing measures, but depending on the situation, we cannot rule out the possibility of raising the level to Stage 3 as a last resort."

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at Seoul City Hall on the same day to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Prime Minister Chung stated, "For fifteen consecutive days, more than 500 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported daily, and the number of critically ill patients has increased to a record high of 205. The number of deaths also reached double digits for the first time yesterday, with 108 precious lives tragically lost over the past month."

Prime Minister Chung said, "Rather than blindly implementing Stage 3 measures, it is necessary to prepare support measures for each sector considering the ripple effects on the economy and people's livelihoods," and added, "The CDSCH, along with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and other related ministries, should review support measures suitable for the current situation based on their experience with disaster relief payments."

He continued, "Prepared support will be the foundation for a swift recovery."

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "Securing hospital beds is currently the top priority in quarantine efforts," and urged, "The CDSCH should communicate closely with the medical community to secure as many beds as possible, and cooperate with local governments to check and recheck the bed operation status almost in real time."

He further stressed, "Local governments in the metropolitan area, where the emergency situation continues, should mobilize all administrative power to ensure that confirmed patients do not have to wait more than a day for bed allocation."

Additionally, he mentioned, "It is difficult to secure enough beds with only public hospitals, which account for less than 10% of total beds," and said, "Recently, several general hospitals nationwide, including in the metropolitan area, have requested designation as COVID-19 dedicated base hospitals. We deeply appreciate their difficult decisions during these challenging times, which will be a great help in overcoming the crisis."

In conclusion, Prime Minister Chung said, "At the US Women's Open Golf Championship that ended yesterday, Korean player Kim A-rim gave great pride and hope to our people facing difficulties by winning with a late comeback," and added, "Kim A-rim explained that she wore a mask throughout the tournament because 'I am not afraid of getting COVID-19, but I was worried about possibly causing harm to others.' I hope we all adopt this mindset and thoroughly practice wearing masks in our daily lives."

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