Incheon City announced on the 22nd that it will advance the operation of an emergency quarantine system during the Lunar New Year holiday due to concerns over the spread of group infectious diseases, such as the increase in norovirus cases in winter.
The city plans to organize an emergency quarantine situation room work system together with district and county health centers and operate the emergency quarantine system until the 18th, including the Lunar New Year holiday period (February 9-12).
The city will maintain a 24-hour communication system, strengthen monitoring of waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases and outbreaks of diarrhea patients, and respond quickly to transmission upon recognizing group infections.
Additionally, to respond to the recent increase in respiratory syncytial virus infections mainly among infants and young children, the city will encourage reporting of infectious disease occurrences at postpartum care centers and childcare facilities, and intensively promote and guide infection prevention rules.
Along with this, in preparation for the frequent family and relatives gatherings during the Lunar New Year holiday, the city will operate designated infectious disease response beds (4 locations, 48 beds) and actively encourage COVID-19 vaccinations for those aged 65 and older and residents and inpatients of infection-vulnerable facilities. The 128 medical institutions prescribing oral COVID-19 treatments and 102 dispensing institutions (responsible pharmacies) will also continue to operate.
An official from Incheon City stated, "We will make every effort to thoroughly prepare the infectious disease response system in advance so that citizens can have a safe Lunar New Year holiday," and urged citizens to "observe personal hygiene such as proper handwashing and cough etiquette."
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