Operation of Residential Treatment Centers, Safe Accommodations, and Support for Quarantine Taxi Fees... Seongdong-gu Implements Comprehensive Lunar New Year Holiday Measures

Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Prepares Thorough and Detailed Comprehensive Measures by Sector, Including 24-Hour Operation of COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jeong Won-oh) has prepared the '2022 Lunar New Year Comprehensive Plan' to actively implement from the 28th to the 2nd of next month in celebration of the traditional Korean holiday, Seollal.

Considering the serious situation due to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and the anticipated increase in confirmed cases, the district has meticulously prepared a comprehensive plan covering seven key areas: safety, medical care, welfare, transportation, and more.

First, to respond to emergencies, the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center will operate 24 hours a day. Since the end of last year, the operation of the residential treatment center has been expanded to 129 rooms and 159 beds to ensure rapid allocation, and with home treatment becoming the principle for Omicron variant confirmed cases, management of home-treated patients will also be strengthened.

For family members living with home-treated patients, a safe accommodation facility located in Yongdap-dong can be used free of charge for up to 10 days. Additionally, residents who use quarantine taxis for self-quarantine (up to 3 days) after discharge from residential treatment centers (including medical institutions) in other regions will receive support for quarantine taxi fees up to 150,000 KRW.

The Seongdong-gu Public Health Center screening clinic will operate as usual from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the Seongdong-gu Office temporary screening clinic will operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Emergency medical measures have also been prepared with the operation of the emergency medical countermeasure situation room, open hospitals and clinics, and holiday duty pharmacies. During the Lunar New Year holiday, an epidemiological investigation team will be formed and operated to conduct thorough infection investigations.

To ensure vulnerable groups who are easily isolated during the holiday can have a warm Seollal, support items such as rice and daily necessities will be provided to recipients starting one week before the holiday. Housing safety will also be checked in preparation for cold weather. For seniors, disabled persons, and children who usually use senior citizen cafeterias or receive lunch boxes, side dishes or alternative foods will be delivered the day before the holiday to prevent any meal service gaps. On the day before and the last day of the holiday, about 5,000 single-person households and 377 high-risk health households will be intensively checked for health and medication status.

In addition, major facilities in the area will be thoroughly inspected in advance to ensure building safety, and neighborhood autonomous cleaning campaigns will be conducted to create a pleasant environment. During the holiday, parking enforcement will be relaxed in areas with frequent parking complaints such as traditional markets and around stations according to traffic flow. Under strict compliance with quarantine rules, payback events using Onnuri gift certificates will be held at each market to revitalize traditional markets.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “As COVID-19 continues for a long time, residents are facing many difficulties and inconveniences, but we will carefully manage every corner to ensure a healthier and safer holiday than ever before.”