[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, proposed switching the current individual specimen collection method for COVID-19 testing to a 'drive-thru' method where people can get tested while staying in their vehicles.
This is because specimen testing takes a lot of time and cost, whereas drive-thru testing allows for quick and low-cost testing with just a reservation.
After receiving a negative COVID-19 test result, Governor Lee visited the Gyeonggi Province screening clinic and the Gwacheon City screening center consecutively, pointing out that the current specimen testing involves many wasteful elements.
First, Governor Lee visited the screening clinic set up in the parking lot of Suwon World Cup Stadium. This location has a drive-thru system where people can safely and quickly get tested for COVID-19 while remaining in their vehicles.
After thoroughly checking the center’s facilities, equipment, and overall testing process, Governor Lee suggested, "Let's create a system that allows fast testing at low cost going forward."
Next, Governor Lee visited the drive-thru screening center established at the Gwacheon City Public Health Center.
He listened to an explanation about the operation status of the screening center from Kim Jong-cheon, Mayor of Gwacheon, and then examined the system.
Governor Lee said, "After personally undergoing the test yesterday, I found that indoor testing requires discarding testing tools and protective suits after each person is tested, and there is a long wait time, which leads to a lot of waste. It would be better to close places like public health centers and private hospitals and consolidate testing at drive-thru screening centers."
He added, "As local infections continue to spread and public health centers have their original duties to perform, conducting tests in a drive-thru format is a way to save manpower, cost, and time. I ask each city and county to manage only special cases separately and conduct general testing exclusively at drive-thru screening centers."
The province has established large-scale Gyeonggi Province drive-thru screening centers in the parking lots of Suwon World Cup Stadium (P4) and Uijeongbu Gyeonggi Northern Government Complex.
Each of the two centers is equipped with 10 testing booths with negative pressure functions, allowing up to 600 tests per day.
Operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and testing is conducted by reservation through the 120 call center (031-120).
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