Yoo Deok-yeol, Dongdaemun District Mayor, Protects Residents' Health with Ironclad Defense Against COVID-19

Yoo Deok-yeol, Dongdaemun District Mayor, Leads Countermeasure Meeting, Oversees Fieldwork Including Quarantine and Publicity... All Departments Mobilized to Prepare for Emergency COVID-19 Situation and Prevent Community Spread

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is thoroughly responding under the direct command of Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol to prevent the spread of 'COVID-19' in the local community and prepare for emergencies by holding countermeasure meetings, conducting disinfection, promoting awareness, and performing on-site inspections since January 20.

◇ Emergency Countermeasure Meeting Held on January 28

To suppress the spread of 'COVID-19' within the region and enable rapid response in case of emergencies, an emergency countermeasure meeting was held on January 28.

Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol, Deputy Mayor Choi Hong-yeon, heads of related departments, and district chiefs (14 districts) attended the meeting and decided on the activation of the 'Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters,' composed of seven working teams including the disaster management team, the cancellation of the 'District-by-District Jeongwol Daeboreum Folk Game Event' scheduled for early February, and plans for promoting preventive guidelines.

Starting January 28, the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters began operations, providing guidance on preventive measures and how to respond if symptoms appear through the district website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, social networking services (SNS), and 37 IPTV devices within the district and district offices. Promotional materials were distributed to 32 kindergartens, 215 daycare centers, 150 apartment complexes, 272 clinics and hospitals, 28 postpartum care centers and massage parlors, 6 pharmacies, 155 lodging facilities, construction sites, and 11 tourist hotels.

Additionally, 123,315 masks, 2,201 hand sanitizers, and 70 non-contact thermometers were purchased and distributed to community centers, civil service departments, welfare facilities for the disabled, and senior welfare facilities.

◇ Joint Public-Private Inspection for Price Stability of Disinfection Supplies Started on January 31

To curb hoarding of disinfection supplies, the 'Disinfection Supplies Sales On-Site Inspection Team' began operations on January 31.

The inspection team conducts daily checks on prices, supply, and sales trends of disinfection supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers at local pharmacies, convenience stores, and marts. Sellers who set excessively high prices are advised to correct them on the spot. Furthermore, continuous promotion is conducted to discourage hoarding, encourage adherence to infection prevention behavior guidelines, and compliance with sales precautions to stabilize prices of disinfection supplies in the area.

◇ 24-Hour Emergency Disinfection System Established on January 31

As the situation worsened, the disinfection task force and screening clinics, which had been operating since January 20, were expanded to operate 24 hours a day.

◇ Lodging Facilities Inspection Started on February 1

On February 1 and 8-9, on-site guidance and inspections were conducted at 154 lodging facilities. The status of guest rooms, presence of Chinese guests, and whether they had checked out were confirmed, along with checking for guests showing symptoms.

Disinfectants and preventive guideline notices were distributed, and managers were educated on preventive measures and response protocols.

On February 3-4, 23 small-scale tourist lodging facilities (22 urban guesthouses and 1 hanok experience facility) were inspected on-site. Staff visited in pairs, including a community nurse, to check the availability of disinfection supplies such as hand sanitizers and masks, fever check devices, and foreign language notices and banners on COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

On February 5, the status and measures for guests at tourist hotels were also investigated.

◇ Emergency Disinfection Countermeasure Meeting for Traditional Markets and Focused Disinfection of Multi-use Facilities on February 4

To address the decrease in visitors and sales at traditional markets, an 'Emergency Disinfection Countermeasure Meeting for Traditional Markets' was held on February 4.

Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol, heads of related departments, and local traditional market merchant association presidents focused on discussing disinfection measures within traditional markets to prevent 'COVID-19.' Based on the meeting, from February 10 to 11, 20 traditional markets (3,094 stores) were disinfected by a professional disinfection company. Mayor Yoo personally participated in the disinfection on February 10, thoroughly sanitizing various market areas.

The district also strengthened disinfection efforts at multi-use facilities including traditional markets.

The health center's mobile disinfection team disinfected 75 locations such as district youth reading rooms, parks, and bus garages from February 6 to 14. On February 10, disinfection was also conducted inside dormitories and common areas of the University of Seoul. Starting February 17, the mobile disinfection team will expand from 4 to 8 members to disinfect 484 vulnerable and public facilities including daycare centers, kindergartens, senior centers, and subway stations.

Additionally, 28 volunteers from the local volunteer disinfection team will disinfect 386 multi-use facilities including 331 bus stops, 41 parks, and 14 community centers in each district from February 13 until the situation ends.

◇ On-Site Inspection by Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol on February 5

Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol visited the screening clinic located within the Dongdaemun-gu Health Center to assess the operation status of the screening clinic medical team and the waiting area staff at the clinic entrance (including supply status and patient flow guidance). He urged staff to operate thoroughly without any gaps.

He then visited Myeongseong Senior Center in Yongsin-dong to explain preventive measures to the elderly and listen to opinions regarding the closure of the senior center.

He also visited the Dongdaemun Senior Welfare Center to encourage staff working hard to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, visited classrooms where programs were in session to provide preventive guidelines to the elderly, and gathered opinions about suspending classes.

◇ Decision to Suspend February Cultural Lecture Programs on February 7

At a meeting on February 7, it was decided to temporarily suspend cultural and sports lectures operated by the district from February 10 to 29.

The suspended programs include about 1,000 lectures held at 14 district community centers, Dongdaemun-gu Cultural Center, Imun Sports and Culture Center, Dongdaemun Sports Complex, Lifelong Learning Center, Seoul Oriental Medicine Promotion Center, Women's Welfare Center, Dongdaemun Disabled Welfare Center, and Senior Welfare Center.

◇ Official Operation of Thermal Imaging Cameras and Mobile X-ray Devices Started on February 7

Two thermal imaging cameras were installed inside the district office building and officially began operation on February 7. By measuring the body temperature of visitors to the district office, this measure aims to quickly detect and respond to suspected COVID-19 cases. One thermal imaging camera is installed in the first-floor lobby of the district office and the other in front of the Dongdaemun-gu Health Center screening clinic, measuring visitors' temperatures in real time.

Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol stated, "All our district employees and related organizations will remain vigilant and respond with full effort until the situation is completely resolved to prepare for infection cases and prevent community transmission. We ask all residents to strictly follow preventive guidelines and, if you have visited China or other regional outbreak countries (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand) and develop fever or respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat, etc.) within 14 days after entry, please contact Dongdaemun-gu Health Center (☎2127-4283, 5601) immediately for guidance."

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