Gyeonggi Province will provide emergency support of 20 billion won to 390,000 households vulnerable to heat, and 1.5 billion won to cooling centers. In addition, the province will supply cooling gear worth 1.5 billion won to outdoor workers and agricultural laborers through the disaster relief fund. Furthermore, Gyeonggi Province and Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) will implement heatwave safety measures at 72 construction sites within the province, and will also apply the same heatwave safety measures for 2,900 migrant workers at construction sites as for domestic workers.
On July 11, Gyeonggi Province announced an 'Emergency Heatwave Response Plan' in response to the extreme heatwave that struck the Seoul metropolitan area for the first time in 118 years.
According to the plan, Gyeonggi Province will first provide 20 billion won in cooling cost support for vulnerable groups, and 1.5 billion won for cooling centers to prepare for the heatwave. The recipients of the cooling cost support are approximately 390,000 basic livelihood security households and lower-income households. Each household will receive 50,000 won for cooling expenses. Additionally, 1.5 billion won will be provided to more than 8,800 cooling centers, such as senior centers and village welfare centers. Gyeonggi Province is currently undergoing administrative procedures for emergency support and plans to execute the support as quickly as possible in cooperation with cities and counties.
In addition, the province has secured 1.5 billion won from the disaster relief fund to provide cooling gear to vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers and agricultural laborers. Gyeonggi Province plans to distribute cooling equipment such as ice vests and cooling sleeves to workers at over 2,000 small-scale construction sites without rest facilities, as well as to farmers working outdoors in fields and paddies. More than 9,000 members of the private Autonomous Disaster Prevention Corps and 11,000 volunteer firefighters will visit sites to distribute supplies and conduct inspections.
Gyeonggi Province will also implement 'heatwave safety measures' at 72 construction sites ordered by GH and other related agencies. Accordingly, construction sites managed by Gyeonggi Province and GH must suspend all work from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. if the perceived temperature exceeds 35°C. In addition, if the perceived temperature exceeds 33°C, workers must take at least a 20-minute break every two hours. Currently, there are more than 3,000 construction sites managed by cities and counties and about 4,000 private construction sites within the province.
Gyeonggi Province will also apply the same heatwave safety measures to approximately 2,900 migrant workers at construction sites as those for domestic workers.
To this end, the province will distribute a 'Heat Illness Prevention Guide' produced in multiple languages to help migrant workers prevent heat-related illnesses themselves when visiting construction sites using labor safety monitors, and will simultaneously inspect whether cooling and rest facilities are properly installed at construction sites.
Kim Sungjung, the First Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province is currently operating an emergency disaster safety response system together with 31 cities and counties," and added, "We will fully implement this emergency heatwave response plan to protect the lives and daily lives of residents from the heatwave."
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