COVID-19 latest: New jobs, relief checks for hospitals, holiday alert

COVID-19 latest: New jobs, relief checks for hospitals, holiday alert

Government to add 93,000 new jobs for coronavirus control

By Kim Arin

Published : Jul 31, 2020 - 10:27       Updated : Jul 31, 2020 - 16:09

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Novel coronavirus cases in South Korea rose by 36 to 14,305 on Friday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s database.

Of the new cases, 14 were locally transmitted and 22 imported. One more person died in the 24 hours ending Thursday at midnight, putting the death toll at 301.

Travel-related cases continue to outnumber local cases. To keep out imported infections, authorities have imposed more stringent measures on people arriving from countries deemed “high-risk.”

In a regular coronavirus briefing Friday, Yoon Tae-ho, the director general for public health policy at the Health Ministry, said the government was constantly monitoring the coronavirus situation abroad and adjusting its border policies accordingly.

On Friday morning, 72 Korean workers were brought home from Iraq on two military planes. Health officials said 31 had symptoms. Their repatriation follows the deaths of three Korean nationals from COVID-19 in the Middle Eastern country, which has reported over 18,300 cases.(금요일 아침 72명의 한국 근로자들이 두 대의 군용기를 타고 이라크에서 귀국했습니다. 보건당국은 31명이 증상을 보였다고 말했습니다. 이들의 송환은 중동 국가에서 발생한 COVID-19로 한국인 3명이 사망한 데 이어 이루어졌으며, 이 사건으로 1만8천3백 건이 넘는 것으로 보고되었습니다.)

Yoon said the government plans to create some 93,000 jobs involving coronavirus duties such as disinfecting affected areas, detecting safety protocol violations and screening individuals for symptoms in public spaces.

Medical institutions will be compensated for losses caused by the coronavirus, the ministry said. Some 202 hospitals and coronavirus facilities are eligible for a total of 1.07 billion won ($899,500). The ministry has handed out 2.95 billion won to virus-hit hospitals so far in two rounds of relief measures implemented in May and June.(의료기관들은 코로나바이러스로 인한 손실에 대해서 보상받을 것이라고 복지부는 말했습니다. 약 202개의 병원과 코로나바이러스 시설은 총 10억 7천만 원을 받을 수 있습니다. 복지부는 지난 5월과 6월 두 차례에 걸쳐 시행된 구제 대책에서 지금까지 29억 5천만 원을 바이러스 피해 병원에 나눠줬습니다.)

“The government will provide relief funding to hospitals treating coronavirus patients or otherwise struggling financially from the crisis on a monthly basis,” Yoon of the Health Ministry said.("정부는 코로나바이러스 환자를 치료하거나 그 외 위기에서 재정적으로 어려움을 겪고 있는 병원에 매달 구호 기금을 제공할 것입니다"라고 보건부의 윤씨는 말했다.)

Starting in late August, businesses that have had to shut down because an infected person visited will be compensated as well.

Cities and provinces that agree to accommodate passengers who require a two-week quarantine will be paid government incentives. There are 52 quarantine sites across the country where some 36,000 people have stayed and received care so far. Since April, everyone arriving in Korea must undergo a 14-day quarantine.

While health officials say having coronavirus facilities in a neighborhood poses “almost no risk” to local residents, such facilities have met with objections due to contagion fears. “The government plans to have at least one or at most two more set up by next month,” Yoon said.

The ministry said KTX trains will take on fewer quarantined passengers during the Chuseok holiday, which falls Sept. 30-Oct. 2 this year and is a time when high-speed trains are expected to be crowded. Some KTX train compartments are currently reserved for people placed in quarantine as they travel to designated lodgings.

Yoon said as movements increase over the summer holiday season, compliance with safety guidance is important. “Keep a 2-meter distance from others. Try not to eat in restaurants as much as possible. And remember that the best place to stay safe is at home,” he said.(윤씨는 여름 휴가철에 따라 이동이 증가함에 따라 안전지도를 준수하는 것이 중요하다고 말했습니다. "다른 사람들과 2미터 거리를 유지하세요. 가능한 한 식당에서 먹지 않도록 하세요. 그리고 안전하게 지낼 수 있는 가장 좋은 장소는 집이라는 것을 기억하세요," 라고 그가 말했습니다.)

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)

 

 

 

The Korea Herald