Lee Jae-myung, Emergency Press Conference... "Full Lockdown Inevitable if 4th Pandemic Not Contained"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced that the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has begun and urged residents to strictly comply with quarantine rules. He added that if this cannot be prevented, a full lockdown will be inevitable.

On the 13th, Lee held an emergency press conference at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office and explained, "The feared fourth wave of COVID-19 has fully started," adding, "Unlike previous waves, this fourth wave is characterized by its rapid speed and difficulty in tracing infection routes."

He expressed regret, saying, "We have successfully overcome the first, second, and third waves through the participation and sacrifice of our residents, but today, I must appeal to you to join in facing even more difficult hardships than before."

He continued, "If we do not stop the explosive spread happening now, we will face a crisis where a full lockdown is unavoidable," adding, "We must prevent a full lockdown. What has amazed countries around the world about South Korea's COVID-19 response is that we have managed to prevent the spread and treat infected patients without resorting to a full lockdown, while maintaining the basic daily lives of our citizens."

In response to the early containment of the fourth wave, Gyeonggi Province is implementing various measures.

First, to quickly block the spread of cluster infections, the province will conduct pre-screening using self-test kits at workplaces with high infection rates such as call centers and logistics centers. A total of 49,906 workers at 12,097 workplaces in the province are targeted.

Additionally, the province has secured a total of 1,589 dedicated infectious disease hospital beds by adding 155 isolation beds and reinforcing staff at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Centers.

Furthermore, the province plans to convert the dormitory at Kyonggi University (Kyonggi Dream Tower) and the Korea Expressway Corporation Talent Development Center in Hwaseong into residential treatment centers. If this proceeds, 1,636 additional beds will be secured, increasing the total residential treatment center beds in the province to 3,358.

The province will also provide essential living supplies equivalent to quarantine necessities to self-treatment patients using the provincial disaster relief fund. It is also considering operating temporary living facilities for unconfirmed cohabiting family members of self-treatment patients, prioritizing five cities including Goyang and Seongnam, where many recent confirmed cases have occurred.

To strengthen testing capacity, the province is extending the operation of screening clinics and temporary screening centers. Testing is available until 9 PM on weekdays and 6 PM on weekends.

Moreover, proactive diagnostic testing has been expanded for vulnerable sectors such as karaoke business owners and workers, as well as academy workers in six cities and counties including Suwon, Yongin, and Goyang, and for symptomatic individuals.

The province is also conducting special quarantine inspections, focusing on compliance with operating hours and bans on private gatherings at entertainment facilities, restaurants, and cafes through joint efforts between the province and city/county governments.

Strong measures will be taken against businesses violating quarantine rules.

On the 7th, the province recommended city and county governments to enforce administrative orders banning outdoor drinking in parks. The restriction applies from 10 PM to 5 AM the next day. Violators may be fined up to 100,000 KRW.

Governor Lee emphasized, "The daily confirmed cases in Gyeonggi Province are around 300, so the situation does not yet warrant the implementation of Level 4 social distancing, which is applied when daily cases exceed 530," adding, "The reason for proactively implementing Level 4 social distancing is because the metropolitan area shares a communal living zone, and there are concerns about side effects such as the so-called balloon effect. In quarantine, overreaction is better than inadequate or delayed response."

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