Additional Preparation of Residential Treatment Centers to Secure Hospital Bed Resources... Weekend Worship Site Inspection to Confirm Compliance with Quarantine Guidelines... Proactive Full Testing for Elderly Medical and Welfare Facility Workers
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Starting from midnight on the 24th, with the implementation of Level 2 'Social Distancing' in the Seoul metropolitan area, Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is focusing on blocking the third wave of COVID-19 infections through proactive measures such as preemptive mass testing and preparing residential treatment centers.
In the Seoul metropolitan area, the average daily number of new confirmed cases over the past week (November 15?21) increased to 175.1. Infection patterns are also showing cluster infections occurring in everyday settings such as family and acquaintances' gatherings and workplaces.
Accordingly, the need for enhanced quarantine management of multi-use facilities under the Level 2 implementation has emerged.
Eunpyeong-gu has decided to prepare an additional residential treatment center separate from the existing Eunpyeong Residential Treatment Center located at the Fire Academy to respond to the surge in confirmed cases.
They secured 76 hotel rooms within the district to care for mild and asymptomatic patients. Arrangements such as securing medical staff are currently under discussion.
Within Eunpyeong-gu, public institutions including the district office, public health center, community service centers, and district council are focusing more on prevention to ensure no COVID-19 cases arise. They are leading by example by refraining from face-to-face meetings, switching various meetings and briefings to non-face-to-face formats, thereby strengthening prevention measures in line with Level 2 implementation.
In preparation for the upcoming College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), if any examinee in the district tests positive, they plan to provide self-quarantine and prepare two ambulance vehicles and a shared vehicle to transport the examinee to the test site on the exam day.
Additionally, for 2,449 workers and 644 day care users at elderly medical and welfare facilities in Eunpyeong, such as nursing homes, long-term care hospitals, day care centers, and mental health promotion facilities, preemptive mass testing will be conducted to detect confirmed cases early and take appropriate measures.
On the 22nd, Eunpyeong-gu conducted on-site inspections of weekend worship services at religious facilities within the district to check whether quarantine guidelines were properly followed. They jointly inspected 31 religious facilities (30 churches and 1 cathedral) with the police at three locations. Under Level 2 social distancing, attendance must be limited to 20% of seating capacity.
Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, stated, “A global resurgence of COVID-19 is occurring, and the third wave has already begun in our country. Public institutions will take the lead in quarantine prevention, creating hospital bed resources, and conducting preemptive mass testing to protect residents from the risks of COVID-19.”
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