Seongap Kim, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, Holds Emergency COVID-19 Response Meeting to Discuss Countermeasures

Discussion on Measures to Strengthen Workforce and Secure Additional Medical Institutions for Safe Accommodation and Home Treatment Management

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) recently held an emergency countermeasure meeting to discuss response plans amid a rapid increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The meeting held on the 26th was convened due to concerns over the spread of local infections as the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant exceeded 13,000, and external activities and visits to other regions increased during the Lunar New Year holiday period.

On this day, Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, received a report and shared information regarding changes to the testing and treatment system in response to the spread of Omicron.

He also instructed to prepare measures to alleviate residents' anxiety caused by the changes in the testing and treatment system and to establish inspection plans to ensure compliance with quarantine guidelines according to government directives.

In particular, he emphasized focusing inspections on nursing hospitals with high risks of group infections, religious and sports facilities, and the Taste Street area.

Starting January 29, with the change in the testing and treatment system, public health center screening clinics will immediately conduct PCR tests only for high-risk groups such as those aged 60 and above and those who test positive on self-test kits; others will receive a PCR test only if they test positive on a rapid antigen test.

Along with this, to address the increased workload due to the recent surge in confirmed cases, he ordered reinforcement of response personnel and additional securing of safe accommodations for families of home-treated patients and medical institutions managing home treatment.

Finally, he urged active promotion both online and offline of wearing masks rated KF80 or higher to prevent Omicron.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, stated, “Concerns over the spread of local infections are increasing as the Omicron spread coincides with the Lunar New Year holiday. During the holiday, please refrain from traveling as much as possible, and since the Omicron virus has strong transmissibility, I ask everyone to properly wear masks rated KF80 or higher.”