Operation of four teams including General Team, Status Support Team, Special Support Team until the end of organization... Support for charter bus costs for airport-school transfer, quarantine supplies, medical and administrative personnel
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is focusing administrative efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as a large-scale influx of international students entering from China is expected ahead of the new semester at local universities.
On the 19th, the district formed and began operating the "Joint Response Team for Chinese International Students." The team is organized into four units: △General Affairs △Status Investigation △Special Support △External Cooperation.
Seven departments of the district office and public health center, 14 community service centers, and three local universities (Kyung Hee University, University of Seoul, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) are participating. Deputy Mayor Choi Hong-yeon of Dongdaemun-gu is leading the team until the COVID-19 spread situation is resolved.
Centered on the Joint Response Team, the district has established an emergency communication system among the district office, universities, and public health centers, and is strengthening cooperation with the police station and fire station in preparation for emergencies.
Additionally, a full survey of Chinese international students at each university will be conducted for continuous monitoring.
Active management and support for incoming international students will also be provided. This includes covering charter bus costs for transporting students arriving from China, wages for university monitoring personnel, and promptly addressing requests from each university to provide maximum support.
Furthermore, for two universities without medical facilities (University of Seoul, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), medical personnel (one doctor and two nurses per school) will be supported, and temporary screening clinics will be established. For two universities lacking administrative staff (Kyung Hee University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), two district office employees will be dispatched to each to assist with smooth operations.
Along with this, the district will distribute quarantine supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers to local universities, and actively utilize the public health center’s mobile quarantine team and volunteer quarantine teams by neighborhood to strengthen disinfection efforts in university dormitories, nearby areas, and international student-dense regions.
Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “As COVID-19 is recently spreading to the local community, we will do our best to minimize damage caused by COVID-19 through a firm cooperative system with local related organizations. We also ask residents to strictly follow COVID-19 prevention guidelines.”
Earlier, on the 21st at 10:30 a.m., Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol attended a “Countermeasure Meeting on Protection and Support Plans for Chinese International Students Related to COVID-19” held at the Seoul City Planning Situation Room.
The meeting was attended by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye, presidents of nine major universities in Seoul, and heads of autonomous districts with dense international student populations to discuss response measures.
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