Strength to Endure the Bitter Cold... A Thank You Gift Sent to Yeouidong Screening Clinic

At the end of last year, thank-you letters and gifts were sent one after another to Yeouido-dong screening clinic workers in Yeongdeungpo-gu... Snack packages including candy and hot packs were given to express gratitude for the medical staff's hard work

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “Thanks to the support you sent, my heart is sweet and my chest feels warm.”

Kim, the team leader working at the Yeouido-dong Screening Clinic in Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il), said this while showing a hot pack attached inside his protective suit.

Last year’s year-end, when a severe cold wave hit, the warm hearts of residents gathered toward the Yeouido-dong Screening Clinic, becoming a hot topic.

Yeongdeungpo-gu has been operating temporary screening clinics since July last year, installing them at the Nam-bu Road Office in Daerim-dong and inside Yeouido Park in Yeouido-dong, due to the continuous spread of COVID-19 and the rapidly increasing demand for testing.

The Yeouido-dong Screening Clinic is visited by many not only from Yeongdeungpo-gu residents but also from neighboring areas, thanks to its convenient transportation and systematic testing system.

Students from Yeomni Elementary School located in Mapo-gu, Seoul, also frequently visited the Yeouido-dong Screening Clinic last year for COVID-19 testing.

Despite the severe cold, the students delivered 25 hand-written letters and candy packages they personally wrapped to the medical staff and screening clinic workers who are fighting daily on the front lines against COVID-19, conveying warm emotions.

The letters included messages such as, “I was nervous and scared when getting the COVID test, but thank you for continuously telling me it’s okay,” and “I was tested about three times at the Yeouido-dong Screening Clinic, and each time you treated me kindly. I hope you stay strong in the cold weather.”

A thank-you letter and hot pack gift were also delivered from a mother and child who must undergo weekly COVID-19 tests to enter the hospital.

The letter contained a story: “My son, who has hemiplegia after two brain surgeries, needs weekly COVID-19 tests for hospital rehabilitation treatment. When I explained that prolonged exposure to cold weather causes paralysis in his arms and legs, you provided convenience so he could get tested quickly. Thank you.”

The district provides convenience for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and severely disabled people to receive faster testing while waiting for COVID-19 tests and asks for consideration and cooperation from other waiting individuals.

Officials explained that all donors delivered letters and gifts to the workers anonymously and quickly left the site.

The medical staff and on-site workers shared the received gifts and letters, encouraging each other to endure a little more to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “Although the medical staff and workers at the screening clinics are going through difficult times due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, the warm hearts and encouragement from residents are a source of strength and motivation to endure. We will do our best to overcome COVID-19 as soon as possible through more thorough quarantine and testing and to regain our precious daily lives.”