Seoul City Launches Intensive Quarantine in Foreign Resident-Dense Areas... On-Site Visits to 3,000 Businesses

Temporary Screening Centers Expanded... Promoting COVID-19 Preemptive Testing and Requesting Employer Cooperation Through On-Site Visits

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 4th that it will implement strengthened quarantine measures targeting areas with high concentrations of foreigners and workplaces employing a large number of foreign workers. Considering that vigilance regarding quarantine may loosen with the start of COVID-19 vaccinations, Seoul plans to focus its quarantine efforts on foreign residents who are in environments vulnerable to cluster infections.

First, Seoul will promote intensive quarantine management centered on three districts with high concentrations of foreigners: Guro, Geumcheon, and Yeongdeungpo. Inspections will be conducted mainly at group facilities (workplaces) densely populated by foreign residents, and additional vulnerable sites such as foreign resident shelters, foreign communities, and foreign (registered) organizations and corporations will be identified to prevent any blind spots in quarantine.

Seoul will expand the operation of temporary screening clinics in foreigner-dense areas until the 14th in anticipation of increased participation in testing. Considering the visiting hours of foreign workers, the clinics will extend their hours by 4 hours on Thursdays and Fridays and open additional morning hours on Sundays to actively encourage foreigners who find it difficult to get tested during weekdays.

Through on-site visits to workplaces, Seoul will provide guidance on proactive testing and check compliance with quarantine rules. The relevant Seoul city departments and six affiliated foreign worker centers will directly visit about 3,000 workplaces in manufacturing, construction, lodging, massage, and other industries to encourage workers to undergo proactive testing with confidence.

Additionally, Seoul will promote participation in the 'One Person per Household' proactive testing campaign targeting 240,000 foreign residents living in the city by establishing a cooperative system with autonomous districts. In particular, since foreigners may avoid testing due to concerns about livelihood difficulties during self-quarantine or disadvantages caused by identity exposure after testing positive, Seoul plans to provide clear guidance summarizing support measures for foreign residents before and after COVID-19 testing so that everyone can get tested with peace of mind.

The main guidance includes ▲free COVID-19 testing ▲living expense support during self-quarantine ▲full coverage of isolation and inpatient treatment costs if confirmed positive ▲exemption from mandatory reporting to immigration authorities for undocumented foreigners ▲multilingual interpretation support (13 languages) through foreigner support facilities.

Song Da-young, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, said, “To increase the COVID-19 testing rate among foreign residents living in Seoul, we have extended the operating hours of temporary screening clinics in foreigner-dense areas and continue to operate them on weekends. We will do our best to eliminate quarantine blind spots and create a safe living environment for foreign residents through continuous promotion and on-site inspections.”