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Some organizers, facing big losses, say they will continue despite scare
July 15, 2009
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| Facing an unexpectedly rapid spread of type A(H1N1) influenza, local governments have been forced to cancel several domestic and international events this week at a cost of billions of won. The city of Yeosu in South Jeolla said yesterday it will cancel the 10th Yeosu International Youth Festival slated to begin on July 23. The three-day event was to host 100,000 participants, including youths from around 50 countries. They were supposed to sleep in outdoor tents. “Should any case of A(H1N1) infection occur, it will deal a blow not only to the city’s external image but also the 2012 Yeosu Expo,” said Chung In-hwa, vice mayor of the port city. The city says it has already spent several hundred million won on the event. South Gyeongsang Province is on full alert for the rising number of flu cases. The World Choir Championship Korea 2009, which kicked off on July 8 and was set to be held across four cities in the province, closed last Saturday in the middle of its 12-day schedule after 13 participants from Indonesia and one Korean volunteer were found to have contracted the disease. Flu patients among the participants surged to 44, including 24 from Indonesia, as of yesterday and the organizers suspect the number of those infected is still rising. The provincial government said yesterday in a press conference that it had set aside 9.5 billion won ($7.3 million) for the competition, held for the first time this year, and 7.9 billion won has already been spent. The province is slated to have a handful more festivals, for plays, percussion and taekwondo. Its governor Kim Tae-ho yesterday advised organizers to consider canceling them in case they are deemed threats to the health of provincial residents. Some local governments have opted to take risks. Organizers of the Organic Food Expo Uljin Korea 2009 said they have decided to proceed with the event as scheduled from July 24 till Oct. 16. The government of Uljin, a county in North Gyeongsang Province, has already spent 22 billion won to attract 1 million visitors from up to 21 countries. In the past five months, 450,000 admission tickets have been sold. The government says it fears those buyers may demand refunds. The government of Jeju Island has decided to proceed with hosting the annual Jeju International Choir Festival from today until Saturday, but banned the participation of a suspected flu sufferer. Some 200 participants from six countries, including Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia are expected to join the event. As of yesterday, Korea had 535 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) infections, with 410 of them being detected in inbound travelers, according to the Health Ministry. Of the total, 173 people remained in isolation for treatment while the others have been sent home after showing no further symptoms. No deaths have been reported. The Finance Ministry said yesterday it will spend 174.8 billion won ($134.4 million) on securing vaccine stockpiles. It says the stockpile should be enough to vaccinate 27 percent of the nation’s 49 million population, though it remains uncertain when the vaccines will be available to the public. By Seo Ji-eun [spring@joongang.co.kr] |
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