Pyeongtaek City Battles Economic Downturn from Virus; Mayor Jung Jang-seon Chooses "On-Site Administration"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Mayor Jung Jang-seon of Pyeongtaek City is focusing on on-site administration to revitalize the local economy, which has been depressed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Mayor Jung visited 365 Coalition Council and Blooming Pharmacy on the 11th. Both locations were visited by the 4th confirmed patient. All medical staff, pharmacists, and workers who had contact with the confirmed patient were released from quarantine management on the 4th and 8th respectively. Both establishments completed indoor disinfection procedures and are currently operating normally.

Mayor Jung offered words of comfort, saying "You must have gone through a lot of emotional stress due to infection concerns so far," and added "I hope you will continue to make efforts for the health of our citizens going forward."

He then visited nearby shops. Currently, all confirmed patients and close contacts have been released from quarantine management, and the novel coronavirus situation has reached a stable phase. However, the local commercial district remains sluggish, and merchants are facing difficulties. In particular, shops near locations on confirmed patients' movement paths have experienced a noticeable decline in foot traffic.

One merchant operating a restaurant appealed, saying "The number of customers has decreased by more than half compared to normal, and it's especially hard to see people walking around in the evenings," and "I can't even pay my employees' salaries, let alone make income."

Mayor Jung Jang-seon attended a town hall meeting with leaders in Jung-ang District and, while explaining the virus response situation, remarked "After visiting nearby shops, I found that the perceived economic situation is far more serious than I expected," and urged "I hope we can unite our efforts to overcome this difficult situation together by eating out with family and using local shops."