Seongbuk-gu Utilizes Volunteer Firefighters to Assist Pharmacies in Selling Public Masks

Emergency Workforce Support for Pharmacies Facing Staff Shortages Due to Mask 5-Day Rotation... Public Mask Sales Start Time Available on District Office Website

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) has launched emergency support for public mask-selling pharmacies facing labor shortages due to the implementation of the mask 5-day rotation system starting from the 13th.

Following the implementation of the mask 5-day rotation system, tasks such as ID verification and system input have increased, causing longer queues at pharmacies. This measure was taken to minimize inconvenience for both pharmacies and residents.

In particular, this support involved deploying about 150 volunteer firefighters active in Seongbuk-gu in cooperation with the Seongbuk Fire Station (Chief Yoon Deuk-soo).

Initially, emergency deployment was made to 25 pharmacies in need of manpower, including single-person pharmacies, to improve operational efficiency.

The deployed volunteer firefighters assist at public mask-selling pharmacies by helping distribute masks, checking for duplicate purchases, and handing out waiting number tickets.

A pharmacist who operated a pharmacy with the support personnel on that day expressed gratitude, saying, “Many people rushed to buy masks in a short time, making it difficult to operate with the existing staff, but the district’s manpower support was a great help.”

Kim Mi-kyung, head of the Seongbuk Fire Station Volunteer Firefighters, stated, “We actively participated to help even a little in preventing and containing COVID-19,” and added, “We will do our best to maintain order among residents and ensure smooth mask supply.”

Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “Despite difficulties in mask supply, we were able to provide emergency manpower support to public mask-selling pharmacies through cooperation with local institutions. We will continue to actively cooperate with related organizations to overcome COVID-19.”

Seongbuk-gu provides information on mask sales hours at 198 public mask-selling pharmacies through the district office website, and residents can check COVID-19 status and response updates in real time via the district’s SNS (blog, Facebook, etc.) and disaster safety SMS services.

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