Mayor Lee Yong-seop Visits Gwangju Fire Academy to Encourage Quarantined Individuals

On the morning of the 20th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited the dormitory of the Fire Academy in Gwangsan-gu, a temporary COVID-19 isolation facility, to see off patients being discharged after quarantine and the supporting medical staff. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the morning of the 20th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited the dormitory of the Gwangju Fire Academy to encourage COVID-19 patients who were released from quarantine and the supporting medical staff.

Since a confirmed case of COVID-19 infection occurred on the 4th, Gwangju City quarantined inpatients and guardians who stayed at the 21st Century Hospital, where the confirmed patient had been, at the 21st Century Hospital and the Fire Academy dormitory to prevent further spread. The quarantine was lifted at midnight on the 20th, and they returned to hospitals and homes using ambulances and buses on the same day.

Mayor Lee said through the internal broadcast to those preparing to leave quarantine, "I sincerely apologize for the fact that you endured more than two weeks in a space completely lacking medical facilities," and added, "Congratulations on returning to your daily lives in good health after 16 days."

He continued, "I deeply thank the medical staff of the Veterans Hospital, Chosun University Hospital, and Woam Medical Foundation, volunteers, and public officials who devotedly served beside the patients," and emphasized, "Thanks to the citizens who practiced the spirit of sharing and solidarity in Gwangju, the city has recovered as a COVID-19 clean area."

Furthermore, he urged, "However, since the coronavirus continues to spread domestically and internationally, complacency is absolutely forbidden," and requested, "Even after returning to daily life, please strictly follow preventive measures such as always wearing masks and washing hands."

After finishing the internal broadcast, Mayor Lee encouraged and saw off the patients and guardians leaving quarantine, as well as the medical staff, volunteers, and safety security personnel who cared for them for 16 days.

Earlier, Gwangju City conducted real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests on 60 contacts related to confirmed COVID-19 cases who were quarantined at the Gwangju 21st Century Hospital and the Fire Academy dormitory, confirming all were negative.

In preparation for the quarantine release, the first disinfection of the quarantine facilities was carried out on the 17th, and after the quarantined individuals were transferred on the 20th, the entire quarantine facility building was disinfected and sanitized once again.

Additionally, with support from the 31st Division and the 1st Combat Flight Group, disinfection and sanitization work was conducted on the Fire Academy dormitory and the internal roads.