Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok Encourages Frontline Medical Staff Responding to COVID-19 in Goheung and Yeosu

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, visited Gohung Doyang-eup Community Center and Yeosu Sarang Rehabilitation and Nursing Hospital to check the COVID-19 response situation and encourage the related personnel.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 9th, Governor Kim's on-site visit was prompted by the continuous local infections since the 2nd and the occurrence of 24 confirmed cases in one day on the 8th, raising concerns about another mass outbreak.

This month, 42 people were confirmed in Gohung and 46 in Yeosu, respectively.

Governor Kim encouraged the medical staff and public officials who are working tirelessly on the front lines of COVID-19 response without holidays, saying, "Please focus all possible administrative efforts on rapid response, such as ensuring contacts are strictly isolated first and then promptly tested."

He added, "In the case of Sarang Rehabilitation and Nursing Hospital, a customized caregiving plan for each patient must be prepared to ensure there is no inconvenience."

From this day, the province dispatched epidemiologists and infectious disease management support teams with extensive experience in infectious disease response to Gohung County and Yeosu City again to stay on-site until the situation stabilizes, supporting in-depth epidemiological investigations and contact management.

Also, to facilitate rapid testing, mobile (screening) buses have been deployed at Doyang-eup Community Center and Sarang Rehabilitation and Nursing Hospital from this day to conduct swift diagnostic tests.

The province is responding quickly by providing 2,000 self-test kits to Gohung County and 3,000 to Yeosu City so that anyone can easily perform self-testing.

Yeosu City raised social distancing to level 2 from the 4th, and Gohung County from the 3rd, issuing administrative orders for diagnostic testing of workers in entertainment and karaoke bars to prevent further spread.

So far, diagnostic tests have been conducted on 14,627 contacts. As a result, a total of 41 people have been confirmed positive.