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With more than 600 cases now identified - most of them locally acquired - South Korea today raised their alert status to its highest level (Severe) as the country works to contain their outbreak.
You can access an English Language summary from Yonhap News (S. Korea raises virus alert level to 'highest' as cases spike), or follow the link below to the announcement on the MOH website. A few (translated) excerpts include:
Corona Virus Infection-Briefing of the 19th National Task Force
-Corona 19 Defense Response and Future Plans, Acquisition of Bedsides and Human Resources by Region, and Phase-by-Step Plan-
□ Corona Virus Infectious Disease-19 Pan-governmental Affairs Conference, chaired by President Moon Jae-in, discussed the risks of infectious disease alerts, the situation and future plans for the Corona 19 quarantine, and plans for securing hospital beds and human resources and phased utilization.
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Infectious disease crisis alert raised to “ severe ”
□ In the current system, the infectious disease crisis alert is in the 'border' stage, and is responding to the 'severe' stages centered on the Central Defense Response Headquarters (DCE) and the Central Accident and Welfare Division (Health and Welfare).○ Today's pan-governmental measures conference will strengthen the response system by upgrading the crisis warning stage to “serious” as a preemptive measure against the possibility of the nationwide deployment of Corona 19.-This measure takes into account the early stage of spreading and spreading of community around specific regions and groups, but requires preemptive response considering the possibility of spreading nationwide considering the speed of spread.
○ The government maintains consistency with the existing central defense countermeasures headquarters (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the central accident procurement headquarters (health and welfare) system to support them while maintaining consistency with the central disaster safety countermeasure headquarters. (1st Minister: Health and Welfare Minister, 2nd Minister: Ministry of Public Administration and Security)-Responding to government departments and strengthening the support system of the central government and local governments, the government will respond with unprecedented strong and prompt measures without being bound by regulations.○ In the 'severe' phase, the government will implement containment policies, such as blocking outflow of corona 19, patient discovery and contact isolation, while continuing to implement strategies to block and minimize the spread of communities.
The measures were decided through the government's discussion this afternoon and the Crisis Assessment Meeting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and were applied through the Minister of Health and Welfare.
□ At the 'serious' stage, the government will push for strong countermeasures, such as social isolation, to prevent more proliferation of corona.
○ First, the Daegu region requested autonomous restraint and restrictions on movement for at least two weeks, and the deceased box was requested to be promptly inspected by the screening clinic.
-In addition, residents of other regions who visited the Daegu area were asked to refrain from going out in accordance with the Daegu area and to be promptly inspected in case of any symptoms.
○ The government also plans to designate a dedicated hospital for rapid treatment and secure beds for patients with low severity among patients with corona19 confirmation.
-In this regard, it will designate and introduce an infectious disease consulting hospital for each trial within one week, and will secure 1,000 additional beds for Daegu regional patrons and secure 10,000 therapeutic beds nationwide. .
○ On the other hand, the government said that it was preparing for the introduction of medical personnel for early diagnosis, sampling and treatment of patients with mild respiratory diseases through medical organizations.
In addition, the government has promised to provide adequate courtesy and loss compensation for medical workers who cooperate to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Lastly, the government recommended that events be held in narrow indoor spaces or crowded events and refrain from going outside and taking rest in case of fever or respiratory symptoms.
-We also asked the employer to cooperate with them to allow sick leave without a medical certificate.
(Continue . . . )
