Gwangjin-gu, Is There a Secret to the Low Number of COVID-19 Cases?

Realizing Task Division by Organization through Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Reorganization... Recommending One Household Member's Preemptive Testing to Prevent Family Transmission... Continuing Preemptive Testing to Prevent Group Infections in Welfare and Nursing Facilities... Launching New Projects Including Smart Eco Fever Measurement and Heatwave/Cold Wave Shelter Operations

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin District

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) has established a comprehensive COVID-19 prevention plan for 2021 to proactively and actively carry out quarantine tasks in order to block the spread of additional infections caused by the increase in cluster infections in the metropolitan area and New Year gatherings.

Strengthening COVID-19 Response through Reorganization of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters

First, the district reorganizes the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to realize efficient and practical infectious disease prevention and quarantine tasks by assigning realistic duties to each organization.

Accordingly, the district will additionally operate a comprehensive situation room within the district office and a medical quarantine situation room within the public health center, appointing two separate situation room chiefs.

Also, to prevent cluster infections in vulnerable facilities such as welfare and nursing facilities, a welfare facility manager and a welfare facility management team will be newly established.

Furthermore, with the introduction of vaccines, a vaccine response team will be newly formed to prepare in advance for identifying vaccination targets and vaccination methods within the region.

All-Out Efforts to Block Family Transmission and Cluster Infections in Welfare Facilities

As of January 20, family transmission accounts for the highest proportion at 32.8% among infection routes in Gwangjin-gu.

Therefore, Gwangjin-gu strengthens individual quarantine within households. Proactive testing will be recommended for individuals with high social activity within families.

Additionally, the district promotes habitual mask-wearing among family members, use of personal meal trays, ventilation, and disinfection of shared spaces and items, and requests restraint from family gatherings and interregional movement during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Along with this, to block the spread chain where infections among welfare and nursing facility workers’ families lead to infections within residents, proactive testing is continuously conducted.

The district has mandated that all facility workers must undergo proactive testing upon returning from leave and self-quarantine at home until results are confirmed.

Implementation of New COVID-19 Prevention Projects in 2021

Continuing from last year, Gwangjin-gu strengthens a meticulous infectious disease management system to protect the lives and safety of residents through efficient operation of screening clinics, support for quarantine supplies, and implementation of disinfection.

In line with this, a smart quarantine system will be operated, including smart eco-friendly heatwave and cold wave shelters with fever measurement capabilities and a clean walk at the district office entrance.

Moreover, to prevent infections on buses, non-contact automatic hand sanitizers have been installed on all 38 village buses, and 1,140 refill hand sanitizers have been distributed to transportation companies.

To alleviate COVID-19-related depression, the district will provide indoor vegetable growing kits to low-income and mobility-impaired elderly residents and promote the “Wise Home Training Life” project, which rents home training equipment after individual exercise counseling for residents.

In addition, differentiated new projects such as distributing transparent masks for the hearing impaired and placing them in civil service offices, as well as disinfecting public parking lots, will be implemented.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Over the past year, amid the unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19, our district has maintained a very low number of confirmed cases compared to other districts in Seoul by dedicating ourselves with a heavy sense of responsibility to protect the lives and daily lives of residents.” He added, “This is thanks to the active participation of 350,000 residents in Gwangjin-gu’s quarantine policies despite the difficult situation where daily life had to be halted.”

He continued, “This year as well, we will prioritize the lives and safety of residents, further strengthen the existing meticulous quarantine system, and do our best to create a ‘Safer and Healthier Gwangjin.’”