Prime Minister Chung: "Current Social Distancing Extended for 2 Weeks... Ban on Gatherings of 5 People Maintained" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking while presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 12th. March 12, 2021. Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced on the 12th, "We will extend the current social distancing level for two more weeks and maintain the ban on private gatherings of five or more people." Accordingly, the existing social distancing measures have been extended until the 28th.

On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Chung presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "We must cut the chain of cluster infections occurring throughout daily life to overcome the stagnation phase of (COVID-19 confirmed cases)," adding, "Urgent and extraordinary quarantine efforts are needed, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area."

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases has remained stagnant, fluctuating between 300 and 400 for the past eight consecutive weeks. Prime Minister Chung said, "It is as if the momentum of COVID-19 about to spread into the 4th wave and the quarantine efforts to suppress it are evenly matched," expressing concern that "if we falter or retreat in this situation, the dam of quarantine efforts that has been built with difficulty could collapse all at once, and the 4th wave could become a reality."

In particular, since this 3rd wave began in the Seoul metropolitan area, where more than half of the population resides, quarantine measures will be strengthened only in the metropolitan area. Prime Minister Chung stated, "We will designate the next two weeks as a special countermeasure period to intensively inspect the quarantine status of multi-use facilities," and "We will also conduct large-scale diagnostic testing at workplaces densely populated by foreign workers." However, he added, "Some quarantine measures that have received many requests for improvement on-site will be supplemented to fit the reality."

Prime Minister Chung acknowledged, "I am well aware that many citizens are feeling fatigued due to the prolonged social distancing," but appealed, "Please understand that if we fail to curb the momentum of COVID-19 here and now, we could enter the path of re-outbreak." He emphasized, "This is by no means a stage where we can be complacent," and earnestly requested, "I sincerely ask for active compliance with quarantine rules."

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