Jung Sye-kyun: "Lowering Social Distancing Eases Livelihoods... We Must Not Let Vigilance Lax"

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun attended the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 14th and is reviewing materials. 2021.2.14 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 14th, a day before the downward adjustment of COVID-19 social distancing measures takes effect, "There are voices of welcome saying that the livelihood sites have breathed a little easier," but added, "We must never let social vigilance against COVID-19 become lax because of this."

On the afternoon of the same day, Prime Minister Chung presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office and said, "The spark of the third wave is still alive," and "We need to observe for a little longer how this Lunar New Year holiday will affect the spread of infection." The government decided to lower the social distancing levels for two weeks starting from the 15th (Level 2 in the metropolitan area and Level 1.5 in non-metropolitan areas). Restrictions on operating hours for multi-use facilities in the metropolitan area will also be eased until 10 p.m.

Prime Minister Chung said, "In this still unstable situation, the main actors who can definitely end the third wave are ultimately the people," and added, "'Autonomy and responsibility' will become the new driving force for sustainable K-quarantine, and I hope it will help accelerate the restoration of daily life for the people." He continued, "Each user of all facilities must strictly follow quarantine rules even in unseen places so that vaccination can start smoothly under stable conditions," and said, "The government will also do its utmost to break the chain of infection spread."

In particular, he mentioned religious-related groups and facilities such as Shincheonji, BTJ Yeolbang Center, IM Mission, and Youngsaeng Church, where cluster infections occurred over the past year, saying, "It is regrettable that if we had identified these facilities earlier and responded more quickly, the damage could have been reduced," and urged, "Relevant ministries and local governments should thoroughly identify religious-related facilities with high infection risks due to group living or small gatherings and take necessary preemptive measures such as proactive testing."

Meanwhile, during this Lunar New Year holiday period, the number of travelers decreased, resulting in a 25% average daily reduction in various safety accidents such as fires and traffic accidents compared to last year. The number of deaths also halved. Regarding this, Prime Minister Chung said, "I deeply thank all the people who voluntarily refrained from traveling and gathering to help ensure a safe holiday," and added, "I also express my gratitude and encouragement to the public officials who worked tirelessly on-site to protect the lives and safety of the people even during the holiday."

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