Gyeongbuk Province Expands Pilot Areas for Easing Private Gathering Restrictions to Include Andong and Sangju Cities

Implementation of Social Distancing Revision Plan Adds 2 More Local Governments to Existing 14 Cities and Counties

Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk Province announcing on April 23rd that a pilot implementation of the revised social distancing plan will be conducted for 12 counties with populations under 100,000, the first of its kind nationwide. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-ho] Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 4th that from midnight on the 7th, the revised social distancing measures will be expanded to Andong City and Sangju City, where COVID-19 has stabilized.

Accordingly, starting with the 12 counties that successfully introduced the new social distancing measures on April 26, followed by the expansion to Yeongju City and Mungyeong City on May 24, the additional application to these two local governments will increase the total to 16 out of the 23 cities and counties in Gyeongbuk Province.

The 16 cities and counties are Gunwi, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok, Cheongdo, Goryeong, Seongju, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Uljin, Ulleung, Yeongju, Mungyeong, Andong, and Sangju.

In the 12 counties where the pilot has been conducted since April 26, a total of 35 cases occurred over the past 40 days, averaging 0.87 cases per day. Yeongju and Mungyeong reported a total of 2 cases over 12 days since implementation, averaging 0.16 cases per day, maintaining a stable trend without the spread of confirmed cases.

Gyeongbuk Province explained that after reviewing the expansion to the 9 cities and counties where it has not been implemented, the application to Andong City and Sangju City, where COVID-19 has stabilized, was decided in consultation with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and will be implemented from the 7th. No confirmed cases have been reported in Andong City and Sangju City over the past week.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated, "The pilot implementation of social distancing is revitalizing the local economy, and the expansion to Andong City and Sangju City will further activate the regional economy," adding, "We will not loosen the reins on quarantine measures to balance disease control and economic activity."

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