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Gwangju City News
MONTHLY NEWS
Reprinted with permission from Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall
Mayor Lee (center) during the February executive meeting.
Mayor Lee Makes Recommendations at Executive Officials’ Meeting Coronavirus Control
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
March 2020
t the February 11 meeting of Gwangju city executive officials, it was requested by Mayor Lee Yong-seop that all related institutions assure prevention from spreading of the new coronavirus and minimize the damage to the local economy. With the dedicated efforts of the health authorities and the cooperation of citizens, no additional confirmed cases have been reported for five days, quarantine officials have been managing the situation in a stable manner, and Gwangju citizens have been receiving all necessary support. The mayor stressed that an emergency system must be maintained and all the capabilities must be concentrated on to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The heightened alert was not to be lifted until February 19 at midnight, when the quarantine period of the 16th and 18th confirmed patients was over. He also asked that customized measures be taken to minimize local economic damage caused by the new coronavirus. The local economy has been hit hard by the disease’s spread. With the growing civil unrest, the economy
has suffered a lot of difficulties, especially in the service sectors such as wholesale and retail, food and lodging, distribution, due to reduced number of consumers, fewer tourists, and cancellation of various events. Countermeasures were discussed on February 10 with 22 industry representatives and economic groups. Based on the damage cases and measures discussed during the meeting led by the Deputy Mayor of Culture and Economy, City Hall requested that actions to support the local economy be established and implemented immediately, underlying that in times of crisis, citizens should be able to trust and rely on the administration. It was said that aside from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Phone: 1339), the Corona Call Center (613-3326, 3327, 3352, 3354; 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., daily) has been operating since February 7, and the center hopes to reinforce its professional staff so that it can play a role as a communication channel to answer citizens’ questions and combat fake news. The Job Economics Office at the Economic Employment Promotion Agency was directed to establish a consultation
