Support Relay Gathering at the Selected Screening Clinic in Jung-gu, Seoul

Donut Boxes, Tangerine Boxes, Continuous Thank-You Messages... Residents' Support Continues... Health Center Handles About 1,800 Calls a Day, Sometimes Working Until 2-3 AM

A box of donuts delivered to the screening clinic

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the afternoon of the 24th, a package containing 10 boxes of donuts was delivered to the screening clinic in front of Jung-gu Public Health Center.

The package included a note expressing the sender's hope that it would help the health center and screening clinic staff, whose workload has surged due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases. The note also mentioned that the donuts were individually repackaged in case they could not enter the screening clinic, revealing the sender’s warm heart and sincerity.

Not long ago, a box of tangerines was also delivered to the health center with messages written in the sender and recipient sections: "Thank you to all the screening clinic staff for your hard work. We appreciate you!" and "Jung-gu Public Health Center. Thank you!"

After the first domestic COVID-19 case was confirmed on January 20, Jung-gu established a "COVID-19 Emergency Response Team" on the 5th floor of the health center and has been operating a 24-hour emergency system, working busily.

Park Se-ran, an infectious disease management officer at the health center, said, "There was a day when we received about 1,800 calls." She added that her voice became hoarse just two days after the response team was formed. Because COVID-19 occurred during the Lunar New Year holiday, Park gave up the holiday entirely and said, "These days, I usually leave work around 11 p.m. to midnight, but even after returning home, I work on the phone until 2 to 3 a.m., providing test results and notifying the end of self-quarantine."

Park said, "This place is the frontline to stop COVID-19, so I overcome physical exhaustion with a sense of duty. I can endure the heavy workload because there are residents who understand and support us," expressing her gratitude.

The response team staff shared, "When a resident sent a long message of thanks, saying they were grateful and proud of the systematic response and dedicated staff, it touched our hearts," and they even revealed the text message.

They also unanimously urged, "Rather than having vague anxiety about COVID-19, personal hygiene management such as washing hands, wearing masks, practicing proper cough etiquette, and not touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands is the best prevention. We ask residents to strictly follow personal prevention rules."

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "I thank everyone who has supported the medical staff working tirelessly day after day and the Jung-gu Office and health center staff working on emergency duty. To repay this, we will respond to COVID-19 even more thoroughly. However, the district’s efforts alone are far from enough. The greatest power to block local infections is the cooperation of the residents. I ask all residents to definitely join us in overcoming this crisis."

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