Gangwon-do Operates 'Mobile Diagnostic Testing Bus' During Lunar New Year Holiday to Eliminate Blind Spots in Quarantine

Preemptive Testing in Villages with High-Risk Groups and Few Residents
Additional Temporary Screening Centers Installed at Naerimcheon and Hoengseong Rest Areas

Reference photo [Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gangwon Province announced on the same day that "to detect COVID-19 cases early and prevent the spread of local infections, a mobile diagnostic testing bus will be operated for six months from January 24 to July 22."

The province plans to identify confirmed cases and prevent chain infections through proactive testing using the mobile diagnostic testing bus targeting high-risk groups such as dormitories and nursing facilities within the region.

With many visitors and tourists expected to visit Gangwon Province during the Lunar New Year holiday, the province plans to additionally install temporary screening clinics from January 28 to February 20 at Inje Naerincheon Rest Area (both directions) and Hoengseong Rest Area (Gangneung direction), which have high traffic volumes on the province's highways.

According to the province, the average daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the province in December last year was 121, and the number of diagnostic tests was about 13,000, which is four times the number of confirmed cases and more than twice the number of diagnostic tests compared to October before the recovery of daily life.

In particular, 15 cities and counties in the province, excluding Chuncheon, Wonju, and Gangneung, face significant inconvenience in receiving diagnostic tests due to the long distance from residential areas at the eup/myeon level to the jurisdictional screening clinics, and it has been identified that areas with small populations have difficulties in operating temporary screening clinics on a regular basis.

Park Dong-joo, head of the quarantine countermeasure task force, said, "We will strengthen COVID-19 quarantine response capabilities by operating the mobile testing bus and installing temporary screening clinics before and after the Lunar New Year holiday to prevent the spread within the region."