NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

Authorities are chasing after three foreigners who escaped a temporary facility in Gimpo, Gyeonggido Province where they were self-isolating. The central disease control headquarters said Monday the Vietnamese nationals are believed to have left the facility which they entered on July 20, adding they all tested negative to COVID-19. The three had also acquired visas for a short-term stay in Korea for tourism and other purposes.
In a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, the government approved a revision to enforcement ordinances on the State Property Act. To help with the COVID-19 fallout, the revision calls for a 40% reduction in rental fees for medium and small-sized companies that are renting out state-owned real estate. The payment deadline can also be extended by as long as 6 months. The revision will allow similar discounts for state property tenants in the future as well during difficult times of disasters or recessions.
Seoul City said it has requested the Health and Environmental Research Institute to survey the asbestos density in the air in the classrooms of 23 schools that will carry out asbestos removal work during summer break. The city said the inspection is to address lingering public concerns over residual asbestos even at schools where they have been removed. Survey results will be used as data for setting a standardized model on asbestos removal construction.