Prime Minister Kim: "Holiday Travel Volume is a 'Critical Point'... Must Reverse 4th Wave by Chuseok"

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 29th. 2021.8.29 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on the 29th regarding the Chuseok holiday, which is about three weeks away, "Due to the large amount of social movement before and after the holiday, the quarantine situation could face a critical moment once again. Therefore, we have an urgent determination to definitely reverse the 4th wave by Chuseok."

On the same day, Prime Minister Kim presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 at the Government Seoul Office and said, "The government will discuss the social distancing levels and quarantine strategies to be applied from the 9th of next month, including the quarantine measures for the Chuseok holiday this week."

Prime Minister Kim stated, "The amount of movement has decreased since the Liberation Day holiday, and the weekly average number of confirmed cases has slightly decreased for two consecutive weeks," but added, "Quarantine experts have warned that the daily confirmed cases could rise again to around 2,000 at any time." He continued, "Although there are many difficulties for the quarantine authorities and local governments, I ask that this week, all efforts be made to thoroughly implement the ongoing quarantine measures on the ground."

He also said, "We cannot loosen the reins on quarantine yet, but I hope that each local government will prepare measures through thorough consultation to consider the people who have endured inconvenience and suffering so far, even if just a little," and announced, "I will report such measures to the public this Friday."

Furthermore, Prime Minister Kim requested the quarantine authorities, "Please also consider support measures for facilities where quarantine conditions are realistically poor," and asked, "Please actively promote small but effective measures such as providing quarantine supplies or budget support to reduce the quarantine burden on small or micro-scale workplaces and facilities."

It has been a week since elementary, middle, and high schools reopened, and recently, the number of confirmed student cases has reached an average of about 160 per day. Regarding this, Prime Minister Kim said, "Most infections have been confirmed to have occurred outside of school, such as in academies and families, but it is a difficult situation where infections could spread within schools at any time," and urged, "The Ministry of Education, related ministries, and local governments should strengthen quarantine management not only in schools but also in academies, private tutoring centers, PC rooms, and indoor sports facilities where students frequently visit."

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