NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The government has decided to supply a one-off, lump-sum financial support for the public to help the nation cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Moon announced himself that one million won will be provided to lower-income families, that account for 70 percent of the country's 20 million households.
Regarding a two-week mandatory self-quarantine for all inbound passengers in Korea, Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun says there must be no loopholes when it comes to screening passengers arriving from abroad. The prime minister is urging airport authorities to check inbound passengers thoroughly and monitor their travel routes and local governments to make sure that those arriving from overseas self-quarantine properly.
A survey conducted by the Korea Economic Research Institute on 600 corporations shows that their business survey index in the month of March stood at 65.5 points, the lowest since the global financial crisis 11 years ago.
The Korea International Trade Association has found that 90 percent of 80 Korean businesses affiliated with the Korea Business Association Europe have sustained serious losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 70 percent of the polled businesses said their sales have plunged because of the low local demand. they were trailed by those that posted losses due to the closures of dealers and partner stores and disruptions in logistics and transportation.