Seocho-gu Entire English Kindergarten COVID-19 Testing... Seoul's First

COVID-19 Testing for All 595 Staff at 24 English Kindergartens in the Area from June 1-10... Proactive Proposal to Seoul City to Address Concerned Parents' Voices, First Implementation of Pooled Testing Method in Seoul English Kindergartens

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu (Mayor Jo Eun-hee) will conduct COVID-19 testing using the ‘pooled testing method’ for a total of 595 workers at all 24 English kindergartens located in the district from June 1 to 10.

Recently, as confirmed cases among young children, who are relatively vulnerable to infectious diseases, have been increasing daily in academies and other educational institutes, school attendance schedules have been postponed, causing continuous concerns among parents.

In particular, on May 14, a close acquaintance of a driver at an English kindergarten tested positive, leading the driver to undergo testing, which further heightened parents’ worries.

In response, the district proactively collaborated with the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment to achieve the first-ever COVID-19 testing for English kindergarten workers in Seoul. This was the result of the district’s persistent efforts not to overlook even the smallest concerned voices of parents.

Parents have expressed relief and praise for the district’s swift response. On internet communities, many positive comments about Seocho-gu’s proactive COVID-19 measures have been posted, such as “I really hoped they would do this because of worries about the kids; this is great news (ID: FriendXX),” and “Wow, after seeing this response, it seems Seocho-gu handles everything well (ID: GiXX).”

This testing will apply the ‘pooled testing method,’ which tests all workers including asymptomatic individuals to quickly prevent group outbreaks in advance.

The pooled testing method mixes specimens from multiple people into one sample for testing, allowing rapid and accurate results for a large number of people.

Already, in April, the district implemented the ‘COVID-19 pooled testing method’ for 1,108 workers in nursing hospitals for the first time in Seoul, gaining sufficient know-how and experience.

With this experience, the district expects to secure children’s health and parents’ peace of mind.

Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho-gu, stated, “In the crisis of COVID-19, our children, who are the assets of the future, are more important than anything else. Going forward, the district will continue to respond without missing even the smallest voices of parents and residents and do its best to create a safe educational environment.”