Prime Minister Kim: "COVID-19 Cases Back to 2,000s... 9 out of 10 Patients Have 'Delta Variant'" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum (left) is speaking while presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City on the morning of the 25th. August 25, 2021.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated on the 25th, "The number of daily COVID-19 confirmed cases has exceeded 2,000 again after five days," adding, "The Delta variant has been identified in nine out of every ten domestic confirmed cases."

On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Kim presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "The current outbreak caused by the Delta variant is on a completely different level from previous crises," emphasizing, "If we relax even a little, we cannot avoid an explosive spread." He continued, "The quarantine authorities and local governments nationwide must maintain a vigilant and thorough quarantine posture swiftly," and added, "Although it is exhausting and difficult, I once again ask all citizens to strictly comply with the quarantine guidelines."

As the high-intensity social distancing measures prolong, the pain of small business owners and self-employed individuals has reached its limit. Prime Minister Kim said, "Every time I hear that sales have plummeted and they are considering closing their businesses because they cannot properly pay their employees, I feel an immense sense of responsibility," and stated, "The government will provide the secured support funds from the supplementary budget as quickly as possible to help these people even a little."

He explained, "'Hope Recovery Fund,' which supports businesses subject to gathering bans and operational restrictions, was mostly paid out within a week in the first round using existing tax information, amounting to about 3 trillion won," and added, "The second payment scheduled for next week will also be executed as swiftly as possible." Furthermore, he said, "Regarding business losses due to government quarantine measures, we will prepare administrative procedures such as pre-review in advance so that support can be received as soon as possible in line with the implementation of the Loss Compensation Act in early October," and informed, "This law applies to losses incurred after its promulgation on July 7."

With vaccinations starting for citizens aged 40 and under from the 26th, Prime Minister Kim stated, "In less than a month, more than 15 million people will participate in vaccination, including both first and second doses," and urged, "Since large-scale vaccinations will be conducted in a short period, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and local governments should manage vaccine distribution and storage more meticulously and strengthen medical staff training to prevent incorrect vaccinations."

Regarding the upcoming Chuseok holiday, which is about a month away, he said, "We need to consider quarantine measures in advance and seek public understanding and cooperation beforehand," and requested, "The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and the Central Disease Control Headquarters should start discussions on the Chuseok holiday quarantine strategy now, listening sufficiently to opinions from the field together with local governments."

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