GOVERNMENT'S ACTIVE MEASURES AGAINST VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

The presidential office is sternly responding to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. President Moon Jae-in visited the National Medical Center and stressed the need for strong pre-emptive measures to the point where they may seem excessive. He also ordered the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to expand the workforce at the "1339" emergency call center.

[Pkg]

The National Medical Center is the state agency in charge of the response to the latest outbreak of the new coronavirus. President Moon Jae-in made a visit to the center and inspected the response measures. He first sanitized his hands and wore a mask before receiving briefings.

[Soundbite] KIM YEON-JAE(NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER) : "We are in the preparation stages for the treatment of confirmed patients."

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "It's necessary to swiftly carry out strong preemptive measures to the degree where they may seem excessive."

Moon called for an all-out response to the outbreak, but also told officials the public needs to be sufficiently informed to alleviate concerns.

[Soundbite] "So you mean the public need not worry too much because high risk of infection can be prevented just by wearing masks and washing hands. Right? (Yes, correct.)"

Following a KBS report that the 1339 emergency call center is not smoothly operating due to a flood of incoming calls, the president called for swift measures to expand the response capability. Accordingly, the government is preparing to add more staff there. President Moon also urged heightened awareness and greater cooperation, citing the incident of one confirmed patient who was sent back home even after visiting a hospital. The presidential office will also hold daily inspection meetings chaired by the chief of the state affairs planning office to better orchestrate a coordinated response to the outbreak.