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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Reporter's notebook Gov't officials do opposite of social distancing

Senior presidential secretary for policy Kim Sang-jo, right, speaks to Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol without covering his nose ahead of an emergency economic meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeGovernment officials are supposed to take the initiative and set an example for members of the public being urged to follow social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19. But some high-ranking officials, including senior presidential secretary for policy Kim Sang-jo and those from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, have appeared to do exactly the opposite.As a result of this, eight officials from the health ministry have gone into self-quarantine for two weeks after they had close contact with a person who was later diagnosed with the coronavirus, raising concerns over interruption of operations of the public health control tower.The guidelines call for canceling gatherings and keeping a distance between individuals by, for example, wearing face masks and not shaking hands, as a precautionary measure against the spread of the new coronavirus.Kim, who pa

Mar 22, 2020
[Reporter's notebook] Gov't officials do opposite of social distancing

Tokyo organizers quietly plan for potential Olympic delay, sources say

People wearing face masks take pictures in front of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic flame, which is displayed outside Sendai railway station, Miyagi prefecture, on March 21, 2020, after arriving from Greece. AFPTokyo 2020 organisers have started drafting possible alternatives to holding the Olympics this summer, two sources familiar with the talks said, in contrast to the Japanese government's stance that postponement is not an option.While the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted sports events around the world, Japan has been steadfast in saying that the Games will go on. The top government spokesman on Wednesday said Tokyo wasn't preparing for postponement.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has staked his legacy as Japan's longest-serving premier on the Games and is hoping for a boom in tourism and consumer spending. At risk is more than $3 billion in domestic sponsorship, an Olympic record, and some $12 billion spent on preparations."Finally, we have been asked to make a simulation in case of a postponement," said one of the sources, an official close to the organising committee who is involved in dr

Mar 22, 2020
Tokyo organizers quietly plan for potential Olympic delay, sources say

Church of God donates $160,000 for COVID-19 response

Church of God Pastor Kim Jung-rak, third from left, and Jeong Seo-yun, fourth from left, director of the fundraising headquarters of the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association in Seoul, pose after the World Mission Society Church of God donated 200 million won ($160,000) to help COVID-19 patients, healthcare workers and volunteers fight the pandemic. / Courtesy of Church of GodBy Han Myung-duckThe Coronavirus Disease-19 outbreak has been declared a global pandemic. There was a gradual decline in COVID-19 cases in South Korea, but new clusters of infections are emerging, which makes it harder for the country to fight off infections. As COVID-19 is affecting the country's economy and the people's social activities as a whole, many of our neighbors are having a hard time.One person's comfort, ten people's support, love shared among organizations and countries can greatly help overcome this crisis. On March 20, the World Mission Society Church of God (General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, hereinafter the Church of God) visited the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association and donated

Mar 22, 2020
Church of God donates $160,000 for COVID-19 response

Korea reports 98 new virus cases, total now at 8,897

A woman wearing a face mask watches her smartphone in Seoul, Saturday, March 21, 2020. APSouth Korea reported 98 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, down from 147 new cases a day earlier, bringing the nation's total infections to 8,897 amid lingering concerns about new cluster infections and imported virus cases. The 98 new cases detected Saturday are in line with last week's double-digit daily new infections, except for Wednesday and Friday's numbers.So far, 104 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.About 60 percent of the confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu, which has a population of 2.5 million and is the country's fourth-largest city.The pace of daily new infections has shown marked signs of slowing since the second week of this month as health authorities completed extensive testing of 210,000 Shincheonji followers.But t

Mar 22, 2020
Korea reports 98 new virus cases, total now at 8,897

Italy coronavirus deaths jump by almost 800; gov't shuts most workplaces

Buildings and streets in Turin, Italy, are seen during the lockdown due to the coronavirus, Saturday, March 21, 2020. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte has told the nation he is tightening the lockdown to fight the rampaging spread of the coronavirus, shutting down all production facilities except those that are "necessary, crucial, indispensable to guarantee essential goods" for the country. Conte said Italy is living through “its gravest crisis since World War II.” APItaly recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus of almost 800 on Saturday, taking the toll in the world's hardest-hit country to almost 5,000.In its latest desperate effort to halt the epidemic Rome ordered that all businesses must close until April 3, with the exception of those essential to maintaining the country's supply chain."It is the most difficult crisis in our post-war period," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a video posted on Facebook, adding "only production activities deemed vital for national production will be allowed".Conte did not specify which factories and businesses will be considere

Mar 22, 2020
Italy coronavirus deaths jump by almost 800; gov't shuts most workplaces
  • Viva Italia -- the power of 'family' in a time of crisis

PM urges religious, entertainment, indoor sports facilities to shut for 15 days

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun makes a public announcement on the government's "social distancing" drive at the Seoul government complex, Saturday. YonhapSouth Korea's prime minister strongly called for suspending the operation of religious, indoor sports and entertainment facilities for 15 days on Saturday in an effort to contain the new coronavirus.In a public message on the "social distancing" drive, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun warned that the government will issue an administrative order to ban gatherings if the facilities do not abide by the sectoral guidelines on business operations.Chung called the next 15 days a "critical" time in deciding whether the government could succeed in fighting the spread of COVID-19."The government strongly urges religious, indoor sports and entertainment facilities that are susceptible to cluster infections to suspend operations for 15 days," he stressed.The number of new daily cases has been on a downtrend in recent weeks, with the country's total infections reaching 8,799. But concerns about sporadic cluster infections and imported cases are mo

Mar 21, 2020
PM urges religious, entertainment, indoor sports facilities to shut for 15 days

S. Korea confirms 147 new virus cases, total at 8,799. Death toll hits 102

 South Korea saw a slight uptick in daily new infections of the novel coronavirus on Saturday as the country braced for sporadic cluster infections and a rise in imported cases.The 147 new cases, which were detected Friday, brought the nation's total infections to 8,799, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It was so far the second highest number of new cases this week following 152 new cases identified on Wednesday.The country's death toll has surpassed 100 since it reported its first fatality a month ago.So far, 102 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year,The pace of daily new infections has shown marked signs of slowing since the second week of this month as health authorities completed extensive testing of 210,000 Shincheonji followers at the center of the rapid spread.But the authorities are still on high alert over new clusters of infections, including at a call center in Seoul's Guro district and nursing hospitals in Daegu and surrounding North

Mar 21, 2020
S. Korea confirms 147 new virus cases, total at 8,799. Death toll hits 102

All arrivals from Europe to get coronavirus test from Sunday

Incheon International Airport looks empty as the new coronavirus epidemic discourages overseas travels./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong All arrivals from Europe will have to undergo a COVID-19 infection test at the country's airports and ports, starting Sunday, in enhanced screening to contain the new coronavirus pandemic, the government announced Friday.A 14-day self-quarantine period will also be mandatory for foreigners planning to stay in Korea for more than 90 days. The enhanced virus screening is a move to detect infected patients who don't show symptoms at the airport of departure. In recent days, several cases have been reported involving patients passing initial screening but getting confirmed a few days later.“We expanded the virus screening earlier this week, but realized that it was not enough,” Yoon Tae-ho, the senior health ministry official in charge of containment measures, said during a daily press briefing Friday. “We assume foreigners who are coming to Korea to stay for a long time have a place to stay, so self-quarantining will not be a problem. But those

Mar 20, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
All arrivals from Europe to get coronavirus test from Sunday
  • New cases fall below 100 again, but concerns persist over new cluster infections
  • Korea, Japan, China FMs hold teleconference

Concerns over cluster infections linger

Qurantine officials disinfect an area around the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the city of Daegu, Friday, as part of preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe health authorities remain on high alert over COVID-19 infection clusters as new cases have been confirmed at a nursing hospital in Daegu, the original epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and in Seoul and its neighboring areas.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 87 cases were newly detected Thursday, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 8,652. So far, 94 people, mostly elderly people with underlying illnesses, have died from the highly contagious virus. The country has been showing fewer total cases in recent days. However, the government remains on high alert over the possibility of new infection clusters.At Pureun Nursing Home in Bonghwa, a long-term care facility in North Gyeongsang Province, three more new infections were confirmed Thursday, bringing the total there to 69. The KCDC also said five more cases were newly confirmed at the

Mar 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Concerns over cluster infections linger

Relief supplies from Nanjing

Employees of the Korean Red Cross load boxes of masks and protective gear donated by China's Nanjing City onto a truck at a warehouse in Incheon, west of Seoul, Friday. Nanjing donated 500,000 masks and 3,000 sets of protective gear for the coronavirus-hit Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. /Yonhap

Mar 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Relief supplies from Nanjing
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