CONCERNS OVER COVID-19

[Anchor Lead]

Korean health officials say the social distancing guidelines for the Seoul metropolitan area could be raised to level 1.5 if more than 100 new COVID-19 cases are reported in the capital region. Meanwhile, it has been found that key disease prevention measures such as wearing masks and ventilation are not being followed in some workplaces and community facilities such as public saunas.

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[Soundbite] CHUNG SYE-KYUN(CENTRAL DISASTER AND SAFETY COUNTERMEASURES HQs(OCT. 30)) : "New cluster infections are occurring in our everyday lives."

[Soundbite] PARK NEUNG-HOO(CENTRAL DISASTER AND SAFETY COUNTERMEASURES HQs(NOV. 1)) : "I ask all of you to follow the disease prevention rules and stay safe."

[Soundbite] JUNG EUN-KYEONG(KDCA DIRECTOR(NOV. 2)) : "I ask you to faithfully follow disease prevention measures such as wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, ventilation and disinfection in every day life."

Wear a mask, keep a distance of at least one to two meters and ventilate frequently. Koreans have been constantly reminded of these precautionary measures for the past 11 months. But these rules are still not being followed in some workplaces and certain facilities. A case in point is a cluster infection that occurred at a call center in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do Province. Ten employees there tested positive last Thursday. Most of the workers there did not wear masks or keep social distance.

[Soundbite] LEE HYEON-KI(DIRECTOR, SEOBUK-GU PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER) : "The center didn't provide hand sanitizers and didn't ventilate properly."

Nursing homes should follow the rules more strictly as they house high-risk groups. 30 COVID-19 cases from a nursing home in Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu District are being blamed on the facility's inadequate air conditioning system and poor ventilation. Inspectors also found that patients at a nursing home in Seongdong-gu District did not wear masks properly and their beds were not placed far apart from each other. Infections are also occurring in fitness centers with showers, saunas, and restaurants. These are all places where people take off their masks for eating and washing. Visitors to these places should try to keep their masks on as much as possible.

[Soundbite] KWON JUN-WOOK(CENTRAL DISEASE CONTROL HQs) : "Please keep your masks on except when eating or drinking."

Staring Friday, a maximum 100,000 won fine will be imposed on those who do not wear masks in public. Health authorities say Korea is in a precarious situation although the nation's disease control and medical systems are still able to carry the case load and slow the spread. They also warn that social distancing guidelines may be raised to level 1.5 if the number of new COVID-19 cases in the capital region increase to 100 by the end of this month.