Gyeonggi-do to Support 50% of COVID-19 Testing Costs for Businesses

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung announced at an emergency press conference on the 28th of last month that the government will support the costs if companies apply for COVID-19 testing.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will support 50% of the cost of COVID-19 'pooling tests' for companies in the province until the 12th.

Pooling tests involve mixing samples from five asymptomatic individuals and testing them simultaneously, and secondary individual tests are also supported for groups that test positive. Since negative groups do not require retesting, multiple tests can be completed at once, enabling rapid testing.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 7th that if companies with 10 or more employees in the province apply, the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center will set the test date, time, and location and conduct on-site diagnostic testing. The province added that even businesses with fewer than 10 employees can apply in coordination with nearby businesses if they have poor ventilation or workers are less than 2 meters apart.

The province will support 37,500 KRW out of the 75,000 KRW testing fee per sample (up to 5 people) for pooling tests for applying companies. Since companies must bear 50% of the testing fee per sample whether conducting individual or group tests, applying for testing in units of five people allows them to receive the maximum support.

Applications for support can be made to the corporate support department of the relevant city or county where the company is located by the 12th.

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung issued an administrative order to prohibit gatherings at the Bucheon Coupang Logistics Center, stating, "The need for sample testing by companies may increase to detect infections early and prevent spread. We will support the pooling test budget for companies that want testing."