Kwon Deok-cheol: "Confirmed cases exceed 2,200 for the first time... Please refrain from traveling during the Gwangbokjeol holiday"

Minister Kwon Deok-cheol of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the daily new COVID-19 cases exceeded 2,200 for the first time, the government appealed to the public to refrain from traveling through a "Stay at Home" campaign during the Liberation Day holiday period.

Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare (First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters), said in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held on the morning of the 11th, "As of 0:00 today (the 11th), the number of new COVID-19 cases has surpassed 2,200," adding, "This is the first time since the initial outbreak in January last year."

Minister Kwon stated, "Despite implementing high-intensity quarantine measures for over a month to suppress the spread, interregional movement has increased due to the vacation season." He explained that with the summer vacation season, confirmed cases have increased in major tourist destinations such as Gangwon, Busan, and Gyeongnam, and after the vacation, cases are also rising again in the Seoul and Gyeonggi metropolitan areas.

He continued, "Recently, the number of confirmed cases has increased due to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, and cluster infections have been reported mainly in workplaces, indoor sports facilities, churches, and nursing hospitals," adding, "hidden community transmissions are also increasing." Regarding this, Minister Kwon diagnosed, "we are entering a new phase and a new critical point in responding to COVID-19, different from before."

Minister Kwon appealed that the only way to overcome the current situation is to do everything possible to block the spread of COVID-19 while increasing the vaccination rate.

He urged those with suspected COVID-19 symptoms not to go to work and to get tested immediately, and also requested that everyone returning from vacation undergo proactive diagnostic testing.

Recently, a case was uncovered where a large supermarket in Changwon City, Gyeongnam, continued business for three days despite multiple employees testing positive. Minister Kwon strongly warned about this case, saying, "This is an act that threatens community safety and is absolutely unacceptable," and urged, "Local governments in charge should immediately implement all possible administrative and legal measures, including claiming compensation rights."

The authorities also expressed concern about increased travel demand due to the Liberation Day holiday (August 15) falling on a Sunday but creating a three-day holiday due to the substitute holiday designation. Minister Kwon said, "We earnestly request that during the Liberation Day holiday period, people stay at home and rest instead of traveling or moving," and added, "a government-wide joint campaign to 'Stay at Home' during the Liberation Day holiday period will be conducted."

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