Nowon-gu's Full Effort to Prevent COVID-19 Spread Following Arrival of Chinese International Students

Establishing a comprehensive joint response system with each university from airport entry to management... Providing temporary housing facilities for 160 Kwangwoon University students lacking dormitories in Nowon-gu, with special management for 14 days

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) will specially manage 319 Chinese international students scheduled to arrive at the end of February in cooperation with six universities to mark the start of the semester.

The district held countermeasure meetings between the autonomous district and universities on the 6th and 23rd, establishing a collaborative system for the entire process from the students' arrival to the management of symptomatic individuals and devising response plans.

First, the university semester start date was postponed by two weeks to March 16, and students were notified in advance of the policy to refrain from attending school for 14 days after arrival and the academic operation plans such as remote classes.

Upon arrival, students check their health status through the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s self-diagnosis app according to testing procedures, and the school officials register them as subjects for management.

The 319 international students arriving at universities located in Nowon mostly reside in each university’s own dormitories. However, 160 students from Kwangwoon University, which has a relatively large number of international students and faces difficulties securing residential facilities compared to other universities, will temporarily reside in accommodation facilities prepared by Nowon-gu.

These 160 students use a call van arranged by the university to enter the temporary residence facility, receive education on living rules, and are assigned one room per person. They are then closely monitored for 14 days, refraining from going out and minimizing contact with others, while meals are provided by the university in the form of dosirak (packed lunches).

The district has assigned one medical professional and one nurse to the temporary residence facility, provided hand sanitizers and masks, and the university dispatches interpreters and administrative staff to support them.

Additionally, the district office operates a ‘Nowon-gu University International Student Support Call Center’ 24 hours a day at the underground situation room disaster safety countermeasure headquarters.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “With the large influx of Chinese international students at the start of the semester, residents’ anxiety is increasing. We will make every effort to block the introduction and spread of infectious diseases in the community through close cooperation with each university.”

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