‘Prohibition of meetings of more than 5 people’

On the afternoon of the 21st, Seo Jeong-hyup, Seoul’s acting mayor, is giving a briefing on the issuance of an administrative order to ban a group of five or more who respond to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19 ) at the Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. News 1

As the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) could not resist the spread of the metropolitan area, the city of Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and the city of Incheon took out the card ‘Prohibit meetings with more than 5 people’. This principle, which applies for 12 days starting at 0:00 am on the 23rd, is a much stronger measure than the third stage of social distancing, which prohibits meetings or events with 10 or more people. On the other hand, the central government remains negative about updating the third step. Indeed, criticism has emerged that the standard of social distancing itself has been neutralized.

On the 21st, Seo Jeong-hyup, Acting Mayor of Seoul, said: “Now, the pandemic is the worst crisis and climax.” “Seoul City, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon City are special measures from 00:00 on December 23 to January 3 next year. Private gatherings are prohibited.”

Citizens who visited Jung-gu temporary testing center for novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) prepared in Seoul Plaza in front of the city hall in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 21st, are waiting for their turn. Yunhap news

Accordingly, alumni associations, clubs, picnics, end-of-the-year parties, banquets and workshops in the workplace, as well as step-by-step meetings, housewarming, first birthday parties, sixtieth birthday parties and Chilsunyeon. For weddings and funerals only, the 2.5-stage distance standard of 50 people or less applies in consideration of the exceptional nature of the event. This executive order applies both indoors and outdoors. If a violation is detected, the company plans to respond strictly to both the business owner and the user by imposing a fine and taking administrative action.

These measures in the metropolitan area are, in fact, a ‘cliff-edge tactic’. The average number of new confirmed cases per day during the last week (December 15-21) is 989. The number of people increased by more than 100 on the 16th (832 people), which exceeded the average of 800 people per week , which is the standard for promotion in the third stage. If this trend is the case, it is expected sooner or later to break the 1,000-person lead from 800 to 1,000, which is the standard width of the third stage.

Furthermore, as 70-80% of these patients were concentrated in the metropolitan area, hospital beds in the metropolitan area were quickly exhausted and more than 500 patients were waiting at home because they were not assigned a bed. Meanwhile, two patients died while waiting at home for the bed to be raised. In Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, 13 patients died waiting for a bed in a nursing hospital.

The central government is also aware of the crisis. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters (Bang Dae-bon), said that based on the fact that the infectious reproductive index was 1.28 on the day, “next week, may have between 1,000 and 1,200 new confirmed cases per day. ” He then stressed that “we all need to stop together and cancel face-to-face meetings and events so that elderly patients with underlying illnesses do not send ‘Last Christmas’ due to infection.”

However, you are avoiding the three-stage upgrade as much as possible. Yoon Tae-ho, head of the quarantine department at the Accident Recovery Headquarters (heavy water supply), said: “It is an overload of the medical system, but I am not worried because the safety of the beds will start in earnest from This week”. Sohn Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Division, said: “As the 2.5 step distance applied on the 8th enters the second week, it is time to see the effect.”

Some point out that it was wrong to set the stage for social distancing in the first place. In principle, step 3 is applied at the national level, but the metropolitan area has taken more powerful measures than step 3 separately. Subsequently, the Security and Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters (intermediate script) will also announce the ‘End of the year and New Year quarantine measures’ on the 22nd. You have already reached the end of’ 2.5 step + β ‘after’ 2.5 step + α ‘.

Experts complained about the frustration of the central government’s attitude. There are also voices asking us to recreate the stage of social distancing instead of this one. Choi Won-seok, professor of infectious medicine at Ansan University Hospital, said: “If a patient’s incidence exceeds the tipping point, any measure may not work.” A professor of infectious medicine at a large hospital noted: “The government is admitting that it has drawn up a reorganization plan that the government cannot protect itself,” he said. Chun Eun-mi, professor of internal respiratory medicine at Ewha University Mokdong Hospital, also noted that “viruses tend to spread to the periphery and vulnerable areas around large densely populated cities, but this part appears to have not been taken into account. counts when creating the social distancing stage. ”

Some see the prudence of the government. Professor Kwon Soon-man from the Seoul National University Graduate School of Health said, “Although you need to quarantine to live the economy, that does not mean giving up the economy.” .

Jinjoo Kim reporter [email protected]

Minsik Park reporter [email protected]

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