Gyeonggi-do Activates 'Wuhan Pneumonia' Task Force for Lunar New Year Holiday

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will operate a task force to prepare for the spread of the "Novel Coronavirus" (Wuhan Pneumonia) infection during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The province recently held a meeting of deputy heads of cities and counties presided over by Kim Hee-gyeom, the first deputy governor of administration, and on the 24th announced that it held an emergency video conference with the heads of public health centers in 44 cities and counties within the province to deliver guidelines for responding to the novel coronavirus infection.

In particular, the province urgently instructed each city and county to select medical institutions for screening and to establish and operate screening clinics.

Additionally, the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center’s hospitals in Suwon, Icheon, Anseong, and Pocheon have designated emergency room isolation wards (12 rooms), Uijeongbu Hospital has designated its emergency room, and Paju Hospital has designated an isolation outpatient clinic as screening clinics. These locations can conduct tests and provide treatment for patients referred by public health centers.

Furthermore, to prepare for visiting patients, each hospital was requested to post guidance signs at entrances and strictly enforce infection prevention behavior rules such as wearing masks and handwashing.

Currently, the Gyeonggi Medical Center is equipped with nine nationally designated negative pressure isolation rooms (2 in Suwon, 4 in Icheon, 3 in Anseong). The province plans to use these isolation rooms if the infectious disease spreads.

A provincial official stated, "During the Lunar New Year holiday, it is essential to follow infection prevention behavior rules such as handwashing and wearing masks if respiratory symptoms like coughing occur." The official also urged, "Medical institutions must immediately report suspected novel coronavirus infection cases to the relevant public health center or the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call center (1339) when patients with respiratory diseases visit."