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The cities of Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Incheon issued a drastic prescription to block the spread of Corona 19 during the end of the year and New Year holidays, saying: ‘Private gatherings with more than 5 people are prohibited.
This is a more forceful measure than the ‘ban on groups of 10 or more’ applied in the third stage of social distancing, and in fact, the metropolitan area is interpreted as having entered the ‘third stage’. However, there is no specific guideline on how to apply such measures in multipurpose facilities such as cinemas or restaurants where it is difficult to specify the number of meeting members and confusion is inevitable on the front line.
On the 21st, three metropolitan cities, including Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Incheon, announced that they would issue an “ administrative order to ban groups of more than 5 people ” from 0 o’clock on January 23 to 3 next year to prevent the spread of Corona 19. Seoul Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said in a briefing: “Without reducing the group infection that is spread through private meetings with family, acquaintances, coworkers, friends, etc. , we cannot overcome the current crisis. ” We have gathered our will to implement it. ”
This executive order applies when a ‘private meeting’ is held with more than 5 people in attendance, both indoors and outdoors.
The goal is alumni associations, clubs, outings, end-of-year parties, New Years parties, and workplace dinners in order to promote friendship. Social distancing If 5 or more people get together to make friends in restaurants, cinemas, computer cafes, amusement parks, hypermarkets, department stores, etc. Violation of orders.
If unavoidable due to public affairs or business management activities, exams such as specific college exams, weddings, funerals, and other congratulations and condolences are not covered, you can follow the level 2.5 quarantine rules.
However, this measure lacks specific guidelines for spaces where five or more people, such as restaurants and cinemas, can only meet, even if they are not known.
An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said: “There is likely to be a limit to the crackdown on the site” and “We will prioritize minimizing private gatherings through site orientation and administrative guidance.”
Meanwhile, the Central Defense Response Headquarters announced that at 0 o’clock on the day, the number of new confirmed corona19 cases increased by 926 from the previous day, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases registered 5591. Among the new confirmed cases, a total of 649 (70%) were confirmed in the metropolitan area, including 327 in Seoul, 237 in Gyeonggi and 85 in Incheon. Furthermore, quarantine authorities revealed that the crown 19 strain, which is spreading rapidly in the UK, has yet to be discovered in Korea.
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The United Kingdom, which chose Brexit (the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union), has been isolated from Europe due to the variant of the coronavirus. Earlier this year, European countries that suffered serious damage by neglecting the entry limit in the early stages of Corona 19 are blocking borders.
Bloomberg reported on the 20th (local time) that “the virus outbreak in the UK is putting Christmas into chaos” and “Europe has started to quarantine the UK.” Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands have restricted entry for people from England. Eurostar trains between London, England, Brussels, Belgium and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, were also suspended. France, which was connected to the United Kingdom via a sea tunnel, only allowed customs clearance for cargo from the United Kingdom.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Commission President Ursula Fonderaien, and EU Summit Executive Chairman Charles Michele held meetings by phone on the corona virus variant19.
Not just Europe, but India, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, El Salvador, etc. they also restricted entry from the UK. A variant of the virus in the UK has already been reported to have spread to Australia beyond Europe, such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy. The Washington Post (WP) said: “If the UK and Europe fail to reach an agreement (on future relations) and the ‘no-deal Brexit’, where Brexit takes place, the confusion that was feared may occur days before”. If these restrictions continue, the traffic problems caused by Brexit, scheduled for January 1 of next year, will intensify, AFP reported.
Despite the start of vaccination, the international community is tense with the appearance of a variant of the virus. British Health Minister Matt Hancock told Sky News that day that “the variance was out of control.” According to the UK Health Ministry, the number of new confirmed cases per day on the 20th reached a record 3.5928. The day before, the British government raised the response to Corona 19 in parts of the southeast, including the capital London, to four stages. In step 4, all stores must be closed, except essential industries, and going outside is prohibited, except in workplaces, schools and hospitals.
The danger is that this variant has a high speed of propagation. According to The Guardian, the spread of this variant of the virus is 70% faster than that of the existing virus. In addition, it can increase the infectious reproductive rate by up to 0.4, which shows how much one patient transmits the virus to others. Last month, 28% of confirmed corona19 cases in London were caused by a variant of the virus, but this rate has soared to 62% in a week since 9 this month.
However, experts analyze that the risk of a virus variant is not high. The prevailing perspective is that the possibility of spreading the variant of the virus to the world is low.
“I think there have been no vaccine-resistant strains so far,” said Montsef Slawi, executive director of the US Corona 19 vaccine development program, “Ultrafast Operation,” and “I cannot rule out the possibility, but not exists right now. “He said. “The variant has no effect on the vaccine and does not appear to change symptoms or cause more severe symptoms,” said Maria Vankerkov, director of the Covid-19 technical team at the World Health Organization.
However, there are also opinions that the possibility of affecting the efficacy of the vaccine if the mutation increases cannot be ruled out.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Patrick Balances, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, said: “Right now, the vaccine is believed to be suitable for strains as well, but we need to be vigilant.” “Current vaccines are still effective,” Levi Gupta, a professor of vaccine research at the University of Cambridge, “but as the mutation advances, concerns will begin.”
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that the Commission for Human Medicines (CHMP) recommended conditional approval for the conditional sale of the Corona 19 vaccine developed jointly by the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and Germany’s Bioentech, the Associated Press reported. on the 21st (local time). The Associated Press reported that the vaccine has already been approved by regulatory authorities in at least 15 countries. Previously, the UK approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-Bioentech vaccine on Day 2, followed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Day 11.
The Korean government said the crown 19 strain spreading in the UK has yet to be discovered in Korea. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters (Bang Dae-bon), said on the 21st: “There are 1,600 cases of genetic testing of the corona19 virus in Korea, but no mutant virus has been found in the Kingdom. United”. Approximately 21 cases of the virus were isolated and analyzed for genetic testing and mutations, and the mutation has yet to be confirmed. ”
Quarantine authorities said they are discussing additional measures for those arriving from the UK.
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