Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "We Must Follow Quarantine Rules to Prevent Infection Spread"

Announcement of Public Appeal for COVID-19 Response... Postponement of Special Week for Women and Childcare Sectors

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop is delivering a public appeal regarding COVID-19 at the city hall briefing room on the morning of the 19th. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, stated on the 19th, "Thanks to the active cooperation of citizens in quarantine measures, Gwangju, which had maintained a stable state of COVID-19 with an average of only 1 to 2 confirmed cases per day and several days recording zero cases, is once again facing a crisis."

Mayor Lee Yong-seop announced this through a public appeal regarding COVID-19 response at 11:10 a.m. on the same day, emphasizing, "If the safety of the community continues to be threatened by individual selfishness and deviant behavior, we will inevitably have to raise the level of 'social distancing'."

In the Gwangju area, a total of 54 locally transmitted confirmed cases occurred over the past month (March 11 to April 10), whereas in the recent week (April 11 to 18), 58 locally transmitted confirmed cases were reported.

In particular, since the first confirmed case related to the 'Jeonnam Damyang acquaintance gathering' on the 15th, 22 related individuals in Gwangju have tested positive as of the 18th. Notably, secondary infections are rapidly spreading through close contact in multi-use facilities such as restaurants, entertainment bars, and saunas.

Cases of infection among family members are also increasing. Following the consecutive confirmed cases among elementary school students, a full-scale test of 1,400 people was conducted at one elementary school on the 18th, and on this day, full-scale tests are scheduled for one elementary school and one kindergarten.

Mayor Lee stated, "While hastening COVID-19 vaccination and making multifaceted efforts to establish a lifestyle quarantine that harmonizes quarantine and the economy," he added, "if some citizens continue to neglect quarantine rules thinking 'I will be fine,' and the spread of local infections does not subside, adjusting the 'social distancing' level will be unavoidable. This will cause some facilities to close or restrict business hours, severely impacting the lives of citizens who are just regaining stability and the local economy."

He continued, "I earnestly appeal to all citizens to unite in protecting the safety of the community by strictly adhering to quarantine rules such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, and refraining from gatherings."

Meanwhile, Mayor Lee Yong-seop decided to postpone scheduled field visits to facilities, organizations, and activists in the women's and childcare sectors from today until the 23rd.

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