Gwangjin-gu: "The Hye-min Hospital Cluster Infection Incident Should Serve as a Lesson"

Gwangjin-gu States Position on Media Reports Regarding 'Hyemin Hospital Accusation' on the 3rd

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Regarding the report on the accusation against Hyemin Hospital located in Gwangjin-gu, which was covered by some media on the 27th of last month, the Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters (Head Kim Seon-gap·photo) stated, “In August, it was a critical period when the second wave began due to a cluster infection originating from a specific church. The measures taken were unavoidable to ensure the safety of residents and to prevent the spread of cluster infections within the area. These actions played a very significant role in raising awareness about vulnerable COVID-19 facilities.”

Hyemin Hospital Cluster Infection Occurred Amid the Second Wave of COVID-19 in August

According to the Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters, the cluster infection situation at Hyemin Hospital that occurred at the end of August is as follows.

On August 31, a nurse working in the operating room at Hyemin Hospital was confirmed positive for COVID-19.

On September 1, eight additional confirmed cases, including nurses and doctors, were reported, prompting the Seoul City Immediate Response Team to conduct an on-site investigation at Hyemin Hospital, escalating the situation to a serious concern over cluster infection.

Accordingly, on September 2, a first round of comprehensive testing was conducted targeting close contacts, and on September 3, cohort isolation was implemented.

Despite all efforts to prevent the spread of infection, a total of 18 cluster infection cases eventually occurred.

In this urgent situation, on September 2, the Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters ordered Hyemin Hospital to quarantine its staff within the facility until test results were available, pursuant to Articles 4 and 47 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Infectious Disease Prevention Act’), to prevent further spread of the cluster infection.

However, Hyemin Hospital, a medical facility required to actively cooperate with administrative orders from local government heads under Article 5 of the Infectious Disease Prevention Act, allowed its staff to commute to and from work. In particular, some employees who left work did not adhere to self-quarantine and engaged in outside activities, causing anxiety among residents about community infection.

In response, the Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters, recognizing the risk of infection among inpatients, caregivers, users, workers within Hyemin Hospital, and nearby residents, emphasized the urgent need for strict compliance with infection prevention rules in multi-use facilities and similar industries. Consequently, Hyemin Hospital was reported for violating Article 47 of the Infectious Disease Prevention Act for failing to enforce strict quarantine measures on ‘suspected infectious disease cases.’

Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters’ Position on the Hyemin Hospital Cluster Infection

The Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters stated that management of facilities where cluster infections occur must be strengthened to fill gaps in COVID-19 prevention.

According to the Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters, the recent non-prosecution decision regarding the accusation against Hyemin Hospital can be seen as a case highlighting the need for institutional improvements to address gaps in COVID-19 prevention.

Currently, Article 47 of the Infectious Disease Prevention Act stipulates penalties for ‘suspected infectious disease cases’ who do not comply with temporary closure or hospitalization/quarantine orders issued by local government heads. However, there is a lack of provisions to punish facility managers who fail to cooperate with such measures or monitor those subject to testing to ensure compliance.

This calls for institutional improvements that enable health authorities to take swift and strong administrative actions against facilities at risk of cluster infections, thereby preventing gaps in infectious disease prevention.

Through this, the tireless efforts of health authorities working day and night to prevent cluster infections and the continuous dedication of public officials should not be in vain.

Meanwhile, over the past 10 months, the Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters has maintained a low number of confirmed cases through a thorough quarantine system and proactive measures, prioritizing the safety and lives of residents.

They stated that they will continue to respond firmly and strictly to any violations of quarantine measures that threaten residents’ safety.

Gwangjin-gu has thoroughly prevented the spread of community infections through ‘proactive quarantine activities’.

In particular, even before the Shincheonji cluster infection occurred in February, they anticipated the risk of cluster infections in religious facilities and, through consultations with religious leaders, promoted temperature checks, hand sanitization, and mask-wearing during religious ceremonies, supporting mask distribution and quarantine activities.

Additionally, to manage Chinese international students, Gwangjin-gu was the first autonomous district in Seoul to establish a temporary screening clinic on university campuses, followed by providing dormitories for self-quarantine of incoming students and conducting home-visit testing.

Immediately after the Itaewon incident, a special task force for entertainment facilities was formed, conducting joint public-private inspections of multi-use facilities, demonstrating a proactive response to prevent community transmission of COVID-19.

The Gwangjin-gu Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters conveyed that they will continue to devote their utmost efforts on the front lines of quarantine to protect residents’ safety until COVID-19 is eradicated.