Prime Minister Jeong: "Ban on Gatherings of More Than 5 People in the Capital Area Begins... This Is an Emergency Situation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 23rd, "Starting tomorrow, the special measures to strengthen quarantine during the year-end and New Year holidays will be implemented nationwide, and in the metropolitan area, the ban on gatherings of five or more people will begin today."

Prime Minister Chung made this announcement at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at Seoul City Hall, saying, "This is an emergency situation."

He emphasized, "This measure includes strong quarantine actions that are not even part of the Level 3 social distancing criteria, and thinking about the inconvenience and suffering many citizens will experience weighs heavily on my heart. Since this special measure is being implemented despite causing great inconvenience and suffering to people nationwide, it must be thoroughly practiced to achieve the intended results."

He continued, "Today, the CDSCH will review detailed implementation plans for each sector one by one to maximize social compliance," and added, "I once again ask the public for active cooperation and participation."

Prime Minister Chung also mentioned, "Securing hospital beds is another urgent task. The government has set a goal to expand 10,000 beds and has secured about 8,000 so far. Especially, the shortage of intensive care unit beds is expected to be resolved soon with the cooperation of several private hospitals."

However, he stated, "Hospital beds are not just statistics or numbers on a report. It is essential that confirmed patients are promptly admitted to hospitals or residential treatment centers on site and receive timely treatment. It is the nation's duty to do our best so that no patient misses the 'golden time' for treatment."

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