Lee Jae-myung "Vaccines Should Be Prioritized for Major Cities with High Contact Rates"

Psychological and Economic Quarantine Important... 5th Disaster Relief Fund for All Citizens
Supply of Self-Test Kits for Pre-Testing in Specific Areas of Gyeonggi-do
Weekly Proactive Testing at Vulnerable Facilities Such as Entertainment Venues in Gyeonggi-do

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, requested the government to prioritize regional aspects when allocating COVID-19 vaccines. This is interpreted as a response to the recent trend where COVID-19 cases mainly occur in large cities with high contact rates, and the spread of variant viruses from the UK, South Africa, Brazil, and India has not subsided.

Governor Lee also stated that Gyeonggi Province will promote preventive measures using self-test kits in specific areas and conduct regular proactive testing for quarantine-vulnerable industries such as entertainment facilities.

He emphasized that psychological and economic quarantine are as important as health quarantine and insisted that the 5th disaster relief fund should be provided to all citizens.

On the 29th, Governor Lee attended the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for the coronavirus and made these suggestions to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, explaining Gyeonggi Province's future plans.

At the meeting, Governor Lee said, "Yesterday (the 28th), Gyeonggi Province saw more confirmed cases than Seoul, unlike before. The main cause seems to be an increase in confirmed cases from small clusters," adding, "We plan to conduct proactive testing about once a week for quarantine-vulnerable industries."

He continued, "The targets are business owners and workers in entertainment facilities and other quarantine-vulnerable industries," adding, "Workers in groups prone to outbreaks, such as academy instructors, will also be included, and testing will be provided free of charge at temporary screening clinics and screening centers within the province."

He also said, "We will promote preventive measures using self-test kits in specific areas," and added, "We will select workplaces with high frequency, such as those employing foreign workers, purchase kits independently, and distribute them to cities and counties."

Regarding his suggestions, he said, "When we allocate vaccines, we prioritize high-risk groups by area, such as elderly people, but now we ask to consider regional priority allocation," adding, "Statistically and theoretically, confirmed cases inevitably occur more in areas with high contact rates."

Governor Lee further stated, "Looking at the metropolitan area, Seoul has the highest number of confirmed cases relative to its population due to high density," and added, "Since large cities in provinces also have many cases, please consider policies that allow voluntary vaccination to prioritize areas with high density."

He also said, "Psychological and economic quarantine are as important as health quarantine," and argued, "The 5th disaster relief fund should have effects on economic and psychological quarantine, so it should be provided to everyone rather than welfare policies that only support the poor and needy."

In particular, he advised, "If high-income earners are excluded, 80% of income earners will receive support while 81% will not, causing a reversal phenomenon, and since high-income earners account for most of the disaster relief fund resources, excluding them could cause discrimination issues."

He added, "If disaster relief funds are provided mainly to certain classes, it can cause conflicts among family members since the funds are given on a family basis," and said, "News shows that men are usually the heads of households, so conflicts arise during the distribution process, which should also be considered."

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