The government will step up efforts to stop public panic over the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome from dampening overall domestic demand, the acting prime minister said Thursday.
In a meeting with businessmen in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, Choi Kyung-hwan said people are spending less and certain services like tourism have been hit hard due to the rapid spread of the potentially fatal disease.
Pyeongtaek is one of many cities that reported MERS outbreaks in the past few weeks. Since the first case was confirmed on May 20, nine people have died and 122 have tested positive for the illness. More than 3,800 are in quarantine to help stem the spread of the disease.
“There is a need to respond swiftly to outbreaks, but there is certainly no reason to overreact,” said Choi, who is also the country’s finance minister.
He pointed out that the World Health Organization has announced there is no need for people to stay away from visiting the country.
The acting prime minister, however, conceded that the MERS outbreak comes at a time when the domestic economy has just started showing signs of improvement.
“MERS is making things harder for many small-time shop owners and ordinary people,” he said.
Choi said he plans to meet with ambassadors from neighboring countries and foreign business groups to explain the current situation and ask for their cooperation to prevent the spread of unwarranted concerns.
“The government is committed to providing the public with all related information regarding MERS and it will also do more to communicate the latest developments to foreign countries,” he said.
The official added that for small-time business hurt by MERS, the government plans to make available 100 billion won ($90 million) in emergency funds. He said more money will be offered once the full extent of damage is known.
After a meeting with public medical personnel in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul, later in the day, Cho said there is a need to check the impact of MERS before making any decision on taking more aggressive steps to bolster the economy.
On the issue of drawing up a supplementary budget, he said the government is carefully examining economic developments.
“Everything depends on how the MERS outbreak unfolds,” he stressed, making clear any action taken will be included in the government’s second-half economic management plan to be announced in the coming weeks. (Yonhap)
