Nowon-gu's 'Nowon-type COVID-19 Measures' to Fully Prevent Infectious Disease Spread

130,000 Residents Receive COVID-19 Text Alerts to Enhance Interactive Communication... Confirmed Case Routes Published on Website and SNS to Address Residents' Concerns... Seoul's First Temporary Housing for Chinese Students, Establishing Social Distancing Safety Net... Hand Sanitizers Provided in All Apartment Elevators, Private Volunteer Quarantine Teams Shine

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is making every effort to prevent the inflow and spread of infectious diseases within the region by establishing the ‘Nowon-type COVID-19 Measures.’

The ‘Nowon-type COVID-19 Measures’ include ▲ strengthening two-way communication with residents via text messages ▲ resolving residents’ concerns by disclosing confirmed patients’ movement paths ▲ providing temporary accommodation for Chinese international students, the first in Seoul, to alleviate residents’ anxiety and address universities’ difficulties ▲ supplying quarantine supplies such as masks ▲ and the active role of private autonomous quarantine teams.

□ Strengthening Two-Way Communication via Text Messages

First, the district office is sending text messages to 130,000 residents to provide detailed information on the COVID-19 situation, including confirmed patients’ movement paths.

Disaster messages are limited to 90 characters per message, making it difficult to convey detailed information about confirmed patients. Also, disaster messages are sent to all mobile phone users within a 10 km radius of the sender, so residents living far from the area at the time of transmission may not receive the message.

However, the district’s sent messages can contain up to 1,000 characters and are sent only to residents who have consented to receive texts, enabling accurate information delivery.

Since the existing website-based text message subscription system became unstable due to increased traffic, from March 1, a ‘Mobile Text Service Application Reception Team’ was formed to accept applications by phone. Twenty district office officials receive consent applications in a separate space and immediately input the phone numbers.

Currently, the number of residents wishing to receive the text service has exploded since last week. Over nine days until the 4th of this month, 26,800 people applied for the text service, and a total of about 13,000 people receive information such as confirmed patients’ movement paths via text messages.

□ Disclosing Confirmed Patients’ Movement Paths to Resolve Residents’ Concerns

The detailed movement paths of COVID-19 confirmed patients in Nowon-gu are promptly disclosed on the website and other platforms to alleviate residents’ concerns. The district believes that delaying the disclosure of confirmed patients’ movement paths could miss the ‘golden time,’ potentially causing residents’ anxiety and the spread of fake news.

Upon confirmation of a case, the district immediately conducts an internal investigation based on patient statements, CCTV footage, and, with patient consent, credit card usage history. Through this investigation, detailed information such as pharmacies and hospitals visited, commuting times, and subway stations used are shared with residents via the website, social media, and general text messages.

Accurate epidemiological investigation results are also shared. For confirmed patients numbered 1 through 7 in Nowon-gu, time-based movement charts are created and compared with the district’s internal investigation results, then published on the website. Time-based movement paths of confirmed patients are also disclosed on social media for residents to easily view.

Additionally, detailed answers to residents’ frequently asked questions about COVID-19 are provided. The guidance documents cover topics such as whether to disclose confirmed patients’ residences, closure of the Shincheonji Church, bulk mask purchases, and quarantine issues, clearly organized and announced on the website and social media.

□ Providing Temporary Accommodation for Chinese International Students, First in Seoul

One of the core elements of the ‘Nowon-type COVID-19 Measures’ is providing temporary accommodation facilities for Chinese international students’ self-quarantine, the first such initiative in Seoul.

There are 761 Chinese international students across seven universities located in Nowon-gu, of whom 319 are returning students for the March semester. Universities with many international students and nearby residents face a difficult situation. Residents are anxious about the potential spread of infectious diseases, and universities find it difficult to accommodate all international students within on-campus dormitories.

The district took action on the 6th. Amid growing resident anxiety due to increasing confirmed cases, discussions began with universities. Representatives from six universities, excluding the Korea Military Academy, and the district office established a collaborative system covering the entire process from the arrival of Chinese international students to managing symptomatic individuals and devised response measures. Most universities can isolate students in their dormitories, but Kwangwoon University has more international students than others and faces difficulties securing accommodation facilities due to dormitory shortages. Ultimately, after receiving a support request from Kwangwoon University on the 23rd, the district decided to provide accommodation support.

From the 26th, 80 Chinese international students enrolled at Kwangwoon University will temporarily reside for 14 days in accommodation facilities arranged by Nowon-gu. To facilitate smooth project progress, Nowon-gu Office, the accommodation facility, and Kwangwoon University signed a business agreement on the 24th.

The process of providing temporary accommodation to Chinese international students at Kwangwoon University was possible through mutual understanding and cooperation. Students can safely return to their studies after temporary self-quarantine, giving the university relief. The temporary accommodation facility offers paid rooms as a precautionary measure, so there is no significant burden. The district office also alleviated vague anxiety among nearby residents with a responsible attitude toward the community.

During their stay, students will be closely monitored for 14 days, refraining from going out and minimizing contact with others. Meals are provided by the university in the form of lunch boxes, and the district supplies masks and hand sanitizers. Management personnel include four administrative support staff such as interpreters from Kwangwoon University, and the district assigns one medical professional, one nurse, and one administrative staff member to monitor health conditions.

□ Supplying Quarantine Supplies such as Masks

The district also focused on supplying quarantine supplies. It placed 500 ml hand sanitizers in 2,999 elevators across 1,516 buildings in 253 apartment complexes within the district to prevent local spread.

On the 27th of last month, a resident who shared an elevator with a confirmed patient in another district tested positive, raising concerns about elevator-related infections and necessitating preemptive measures.

The district immediately distributed hand sanitizers to community service centers, which then provided them to apartment management offices and neighborhood leaders, completing placement in all apartment elevators in Nowon-gu on the same day.

Additionally, 17,000 hand sanitizers were delivered to general houses, villas, and street vendors to facilitate easy access for residents. Each of the 19 neighborhoods also stocked 150 extra hand sanitizers to promptly distribute upon additional requests.

A total of 1.7 million masks were distributed to prevent community transmission and spread of COVID-19. Early in the outbreak, welfare planners from community service centers visited low-income households such as basic livelihood security recipients and distributed 1.47 million masks.

Furthermore, 230,000 masks were distributed to facilities densely populated by vulnerable groups, such as daycare centers, senior centers, and welfare centers.

Additionally, 7,900 bottles of disinfectant were provided to kindergartens, daycare centers, and senior centers.

□ The Shining Role of Private Autonomous Quarantine Teams in Preventing COVID-19 Spread

Finally, the private autonomous quarantine teams, composed of the Nowon-gu Saemaul Leaders’ Council and various professional organizations, are the unsung frontline helpers in preventing the spread of COVID-19 within the district.

First, the Nowon-gu Saemaul Quarantine Volunteer Corps formed a mobile quarantine team on the 9th of last month, conducting disinfection with sprayers and foggers throughout neighborhoods and at locations requested by residents. They carried out comprehensive disinfection targeting places with dense floating populations such as bus stop shelters, subway station areas, traditional markets, boarding houses, daycare centers, and multi-use facilities.

Resident autonomy committee members also contributed. The resident autonomy quarantine team, after prior consultation with community service centers, designated quarantine zones for systematic disinfection. They focused on frequently touched areas in multi-use facilities such as restrooms, elevator buttons, and door handles, conducting spray disinfection and distributing COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

As of March 4, a total of about 2,100 members of the private autonomous quarantine teams have completed disinfection of 3,416 local facilities, and professional quarantine companies have disinfected 339 locations.

The private autonomous quarantine teams will continue their disinfection activities until the COVID-19 situation ends.

The district also contracted with six professional quarantine companies to focus disinfection efforts on vulnerable areas such as commercial buildings, subways, and boarding houses. The district regularly supplies disinfectants, masks, and other necessary items to support the smooth activities of the autonomous quarantine teams.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “The Nowon-type COVID-19 Measures represent an all-out response involving the public, government, and academia working together to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. All Nowon-gu employees will do their best to protect the health and lives of residents from COVID-19.”

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