Busan City Holds Meeting on Childcare Center Response Measures for Novel Coronavirus

Listening to Challenges in Childcare Centers
Requesting Cooperation to Prevent the Spread of Infections

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Bureau, Yoon Yoseop] On February 4, the Busan Metropolitan Government held the "Childcare Center New Coronavirus Response Measures Meeting" in the conference room on the 26th floor of City Hall, with ten childcare administration officials including the president of the Busan Childcare Center Association in attendance.

During the meeting, participants discussed response strategies to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, which was on the rise at the time. The city had already distributed guidelines and Q&A materials on responding to the new coronavirus to childcare centers and had strengthened monitoring of these facilities as part of its measures.

Representatives of childcare centers who attended the meeting proposed several mid- and long-term measures in response to the spread of the new coronavirus, including: support for preventive supplies such as thermometers, masks, and hand sanitizers; solutions to address issues arising from teacher shortages if a teacher becomes infected; and temporary closure of facilities in the event of confirmed cases or worsening conditions.

Busan City announced plans to urgently distribute some hand sanitizers and to provide substitute teachers if any childcare teachers are excluded from work due to the outbreak. In the event of temporary closures or worsening conditions, the city will offer home-based childcare services by dispatching caregivers to families, and will cooperate with district and county offices to prioritize infection prevention measures at childcare centers.

Kim Minsook, Director of the Birth and Childcare Division of Busan City, stated, "We have requested that childcare center managers, who are responsible for facility disinfection, carry out their own disinfection procedures," adding, "We will remain vigilant in preventing infectious diseases, including temporarily closing programs such as Neighborhood Sharing Childcare, the two public kids cafes operated by the city, and the experience rooms at the Childcare Support Center."

The "Childcare Center New Coronavirus Response Measures Meeting" held on the 4th at Busan City Hall (Photo by Busan City)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.