Government Complex Management Headquarters Intensifies Efforts to Prevent COVID-19 Spread... Discusses Strengthening Disinfection Measures Within Government Complex

Strengthening Field-Oriented Infectious Disease Response through Expert Quarantine Diagnosis, Interdepartmental Collaborative Diagnosis, and Quarantine Council Meetings

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Government Complex Management Headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 25th that it is making every effort to strengthen quarantine measures to prevent the inflow of infectious diseases into the government complex amid the ongoing third wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

To this end, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is conducting quarantine inspections together with resident agencies and holding monthly quarantine councils to ensure smooth cooperation in quarantine efforts.

Last month, the Government Complex Management Headquarters conducted joint inspections with eight ministries, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, covering three areas (24 items): access control, workspaces, and multi-use facilities. In January of this year, they inspected and diagnosed the quarantine status at the Sejong Government Complex with a private infectious disease expert (Professor Kim Young-taek from Chungnam National University Hospital) and received consulting on overall government complex quarantine measures.

The expert quarantine inspection results evaluated that the government complex maintains an efficient quarantine response system through systematic step-by-step quarantine measures, preparation of situation-specific response manuals, and continuous on-site quarantine inspections.

Regarding future response plans, considering that a significant number of confirmed cases are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, it was also recommended to continuously conduct quarantine manual reviews and improvements, as well as on-site quarantine, to prevent the inflow of infection sources into the government complex.

The Government Complex Management Headquarters shared these quarantine inspection and consulting results with resident agencies at the government complex quarantine council held on the 20th and discussed ways to strengthen quarantine within the government complex.

Additionally, to ensure smooth responses by each agency in case of confirmed or suspected cases, they provided guidance on measures and response manuals during COVID-19 situations and shared excellent response cases from resident agencies.

As adherence to preventive measures is urgently required to minimize the spread of infectious diseases, the Government Complex Management Headquarters plans to produce a promotional video themed “Government Complex Quarantine Rules” to emphasize the practice of daily quarantine rules within the complex.

The video includes essential points to observe when entering the complex, working in offices, and using multi-use facilities (cafeterias), and introduces not only individual quarantine rules but also the role of office quarantine managers and ways to avoid confined and crowded spaces within the complex.

Cho So-yeon, head of the Government Complex Management Headquarters, said, “We will continuously review and improve COVID-19 quarantine enhancement measures and actively communicate and cooperate with resident agencies to do our best to prevent the spread of infection within the government complex through prompt responses.”