Acting Prime Minister Hong: "Current Social Distancing and 5-Person Limit Extended for 3 More Weeks" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Hong Nam-ki, Acting Prime Minister, is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 30th. April 30, 2021.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Hong Nam-ki, Acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Economy, announced on the 30th, "The current social distancing quarantine level and the ban on private gatherings of five or more people will be maintained for an additional three weeks starting next week."

Acting Prime Minister Hong chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 at the Government Seoul Office this morning and stated, "This decision is based on the trends of confirmed cases over the past three weeks, the quarantine situation including social distancing, and the comprehensive collection of opinions from local sites, related ministries, and quarantine experts." He added, "In addition to the number of confirmed cases, we also considered the sufficient hospital bed capacity resulting from the expansion of medical capabilities and proactive preemptive testing." He expressed concern, saying, "The number of confirmed cases has neither sharply decreased nor increased but remains steady, and since we do not know when or how rapidly the situation might change, we cannot afford to lower our guard even for a moment."

The 'Special Quarantine Management Week' implemented this week will also be extended for one more week. Acting Prime Minister Hong said, "In May, the 'Month of Family,' with Children's Day, Parents' Day, and Buddha's Birthday occurring consecutively, meetings and movements are expected to increase, thereby raising the risk of infection spread. The government plans to extend the special quarantine management week, which was implemented for one week this week, for an additional week." He emphasized, "It is essential to decisively curb the spread of COVID-19 during the next three weeks in May."

To this end, the government emphasized ▲ proactive preemptive testing ▲ strict management and supervision of quarantine measures at major workplaces ▲ and refraining from unnecessary daily movement.

Meanwhile, Acting Prime Minister Hong evaluated the recent pilot application of a new social distancing reform plan independently implemented by 12 counties in Gyeongbuk, where only one confirmed case was reported among approximately 400,000 residents, as "successful." He stated, "We will continue to seek ways to enhance the effectiveness of quarantine based on local governments' autonomy and responsibility."

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