Description:
South Korea today reported 6-hundred-10 new cases of COVID-19, a decline
from recent days, but as usual, fewer tests are done on the weekend.
Transcription:
South Korea today reported 6-hundred-10 new cases of COVID-19, a decline
from recent days, but as usual, fewer tests are done on the weekend. On the
vaccination front, the government said it's going to provide more incentives to
people who get fully vaccinated. The authorities also asked people not to worry,
and offered reassurances that vaccine supplies are coming in. Lee Kyung-eun
has the latest.
Reporter: In a bid to boost public participation, South Korean Prime
Minister Kim Boo-kyum pledged to provide more incentives for people who get
fully vaccinated. In a briefing Sunday, Kim expressed hope of returning to normalcy
by September when herd immunity is achieved, citing the example of the U.S.
where CDC guidelines say fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks.
But he added, that doesn't mean quickly loosening the distancing rules, pointing to
the UK, where measures are still in place, even when half of its population has
been vaccinated.
PM Kim Boo-kyum: "I ask related ministries to devise a set of
incentives for fully vaccinated people, to the extent these measures don't harm
the country's containment efforts."
Reporter: These measures would include
signing vaccine passport deals with other countries, and issuing vaccine
certificates on paper in addition to the digital ones. South Korea is trying to boost
participation as it takes vaccine reservations for people over 60 some 48 percent
of eligible recipients have signed up, but the Prime Minister called for greater
participation, stressing that the vaccine is safe. And in their briefing the same day,
the health authorities said there are enough doses for the campaign to go ahead
as planned.
SOn Youngrae: "The government has more than enough vaccine doses
to inoculate 13 million people by the end of June, as promised. Now it's time to
focus our efforts on the actual inoculations, not the supply."
Reporter: The arrival
of more shipments will also allow South Korea to resume giving first doses of Pfizer
to new recipients, which has currently been halted.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.
Questions:
1. Who is the new Korean Prime minister?
2. How did the prime minister boost the public participation in vaccination?
3. According to CDC, who are allowed to not wear masks?