Comprehensive Lunar New Year Measures in 5 Key Areas... 24-Hour Emergency Response System Activated from 6 PM on the 10th to 9 AM on the 15th
On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 27th, returning travelers are getting off the train at Seoul Station and heading home. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will implement the 2021 Lunar New Year comprehensive measures during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, which marks a critical turning point in the resurgence of COVID-19, focusing on two main pillars: “high-intensity quarantine” and “vitalizing the livelihood economy.”
According to Seoul City on the 4th, to minimize all movements including family gatherings, for the first time, the last train times for public transportation will not be extended during this Lunar New Year holiday. Additional city buses passing through municipal cemeteries will also not be operated during this holiday. Quarantine personnel will be concentrated at eight major stations including Seoul Station and Express Bus Terminal to block the spread of infectious diseases.
Screening clinics, infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, and residential treatment centers will continue to operate throughout the Lunar New Year holiday. Homeless shelters, where confirmed cases have recently been reported consecutively, will undergo full inspections to prevent further spread. From the 3rd to the 9th, before the holiday, in cooperation with the Seoul branch of the Korean National Tuberculosis Association, all 37 facilities in Seoul will conduct “on-site testing” for all homeless users and workers.
To promote consumption during the holiday, the “Seoul Love Gift Certificate” with a 10% discount began sales by autonomous districts from the 3rd, allowing purchases up to 700,000 KRW per person per month. The “Lunar New Year Win-Win Special Exhibition,” where agricultural and marine products from about 400 locations in 14 provinces nationwide can be purchased at up to 35% discounted prices, is available both online and offline at 11 Hyundai Department Store branches and 11st.
From 6 p.m. on the 10th to 9 a.m. on the 15th, a 24-hour “Comprehensive Situation Room” will be set up and operated on the first floor of Seoul City Hall to promptly respond to emergencies occurring during the holiday. This year’s Lunar New Year comprehensive measures will be promoted through 20 detailed tasks across five areas: safety, transportation, daily life, prices, and sharing.
First, the COVID-19 response system will be maintained and quarantine strengthened. The “COVID-19 Seoul Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters” situation room will operate normally, and at least one screening clinic per autonomous district will be maintained. Infectious disease-dedicated hospitals and residential treatment centers will also operate continuously. Additionally, for managing self-quarantined individuals, a 24-hour monitoring and emergency response system will be operated, including delivery of supplies and unannounced inspections for unauthorized departures. To encourage reduced movement, an “Online Sebae Campaign” will be promoted, and a “Cyber Memorial House” service will be provided for users of municipal funeral facilities. Pre-inspections will be conducted to prevent safety accidents at construction sites and various facilities, and fire safety inspections will be carried out to prevent fires.
This year, to encourage reduced movement, last train time extensions for public transportation will not be implemented, and additional city buses passing through municipal cemeteries will not be operated. Disinfection of subways and buses will continue, and special disinfection will be conducted at terminals and major stations. Subways will be disinfected each time they enter, and station restrooms will be disinfected at least twice daily. Eight major stations (Seoul, Express Bus Terminal, Gimpo Airport, etc.) will have concentrated deployment of quarantine personnel. Inside buses, internal spray disinfection will be conducted after every trip, and bus stop structures will be disinfected once a week.
Hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies open during the holiday will be designated, and special duty for sanitation workers will be carried out. The 120 Dasan Call Center will operate 24 hours to minimize inconvenience to citizens. During the holiday, 971 hospitals and clinics and 2,605 pharmacies will be designated to prepare for emergency patients, and 65 emergency medical institutions operating 24 hours will maintain an emergency medical system.
Measures will also be implemented to prevent price increases in holiday shopping baskets, revitalize neighborhood economies, and promote urban-rural win-win cooperation. Supply volumes of nine seasonal products including apples, pears, and croakers will be supplied at about 110% of the three-year average transaction volume excluding the highest and lowest values from the past five years to stabilize prices. Inspection teams will be formed to intensively manage and eradicate unfair trade practices such as hoarding, price collusion, and failure to comply with price labeling for agricultural, marine, and livestock products.
Meanwhile, customized support will be provided for marginalized neighbors such as the homeless and residents of jjokbang (small rooms), while confirming the safety of vulnerable elderly people to prevent COVID-19 infection. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, homeless facilities will refrain from traditional games and other holiday leisure activities, and memorial table setups will be operated in compliance with social distancing and quarantine guidelines. In jjokbang villages, group meals such as village feasts where many people gather will be prohibited and replaced with packed meals.
Jo In-dong, Director of the Planning and Coordination Office, said, “This Lunar New Year comprehensive plan includes everything from preventing the spread of infectious diseases, maintaining disaster and accident preparedness, stabilizing holiday prices, to supporting vulnerable groups, so that all citizens can have a safe and comfortable holiday.” He added, “Please strictly follow personal quarantine rules such as wearing masks, social distancing, and washing hands for 30 seconds, and we ask for your cooperation in refraining from movement during the holiday for the safety of all of us.”
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