[Anchor Lead]
Regarding a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Daegu, the government is pledging to stabilize the situation within four weeks. It is now simultaneously employing the strategies of imposing a lockdown and reducing damage.
[Pkg]
Lock down affected regions and reduce damage.... These are the government's strategies to tackle the surging COVID-19 infections in Daegu and Gyeongsanguk-do Province. The primary goal of lockdown is to stop the spread of the virus. The government will continue implementing quarantine measures to block the entry of COVID-19 patients from overseas. It will designate Hong Kong and Macau as regions contaminated by the virus and reject travelers from Hubei Province, the epicenter of the disease. The government will also impose a lockdown on affected regions in the nation. Health agencies announced plans to examine all 28,000 Daegu residents showing cold symptoms for two weeks. This step is aimed at preventing intensive localized infections from becoming a nationwide epidemic.
[Soundbite] KIM KANG-LIP(CENTRAL DISASTER RELIEF HEADQUARTERS) : "There are concerns that we are at the brink of a nationwide epidemic. For now, the primary goal is to prevent the spread of infections to other local communities to the best of our abilities."




Quarantine authorities will focus on identifying and treating infected people as quickly as possible.
[Soundbite] PROF. CHOI WON-SEOK(KOREA UNIVERSITY ANSAN HOSPITAL) : "Since localized infections have become widespread, it's become difficult to identify and block all cases. The measure should help block patient-to-patient transmission."

Along with the lockdown strategy, the government will also do its best to reduce damage from the outbreak. It will introduce a prioritized management program for patients in serious condition. Under the program, emergency patients will be the first to receive necessary medical treatment, as medical resources, such as negative pressure isolation rooms, are li