Yeongdeungpo-gu Publishes Public Mask Pharmacy Sales Hours and Provides Manpower Support

Designated Mask Sale Hours at 214 Pharmacies for Resident Convenience... Published on Website... Masks Delivered Every Monday to Saturday at 10 AM to Neighborhood Pharmacies Using Dong Resident Center Vehicles... Short-Term Workers Deployed at Pharmacies... District Office Staff Also Working Weekends to Support Pharmacies

On the 13th, at a pharmacy located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, a pharmacist (right) is selling public masks to a resident (left). The district posted the status of pharmacies selling public masks in the area on its website to enhance residents' convenience, deployed short-term workers to the pharmacies, and also supports mask delivery.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) has taken steps to stabilize the supply of public masks by disclosing the sales hours of 214 pharmacies in the area and providing manpower and delivery support.

As the spread of COVID-19 continues unabated, the government announced the ‘Mask Supply Stabilization Measures’ on the 5th, implementing a public mask 5-day rotation system that limits mask purchases to two per person per week.

At the early stage of the system’s implementation, pharmacists are facing increased workload due to public mask sales, confusion caused by the sudden introduction of the system, and various complaints from residents.

In response, the district, in close consultation with the Yeongdeungpo-gu Pharmaceutical Association, designated mask sales hours for 214 pharmacies in the area and posted this information on the district’s website to facilitate residents’ mask purchases.

Considering the convenience and diverse needs of residents, the district allowed pharmacies to autonomously set their mask sales hours and announced them collectively to make them predictable. Fixing sales hours uniformly for all pharmacies would have caused inconvenience to office workers, students, and housewives who face difficulties purchasing masks due to school and work schedules or childcare responsibilities.

The district posted the mask sales hours and contact information for each pharmacy on its website so residents can refer to them when purchasing masks. Instructions on how to purchase public masks were also posted to help residents understand the process.

Additionally, since the 12th, the district has been supporting pharmacies selling public masks by deploying short-term workers to those requesting additional manpower to ensure smooth sales.

The workers assigned to pharmacies handle tasks such as entering purchaser verification into the system, sales operations, and quarantine support. They work three hours a day until the 31st of this month, when the mask 5-day rotation system is expected to be somewhat established, helping to alleviate labor shortages.

All district office employees have also rolled up their sleeves to support pharmacy staffing. On the weekend of the 14th and 15th, district office staff were dispatched to local pharmacies to assist. The staff distributed numbered tickets produced by the district office and maintained order on-site to minimize the inconvenience of residents lining up for masks over the weekend after being unable to purchase them during the week.

On the morning of the 14th, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Chae Hyun-il visited the Yeongdeungpo Cultural Center’s mask-making volunteer site and made masks together with residents. Mayor Chae personally practiced on-site administration to protect residents’ lives and safety over the weekend by visiting mask distribution sites at pharmacies and locations where confirmed cases occurred, urging thorough quarantine measures.

Since the 12th, the district has also been assisting mask delivery to pharmacies selling public masks using the ‘Visiting Community Service Center (Chatdong)’ vehicles.

With the participation of community service centers, mask delivery support is provided to 26 pharmacies located on alleyways and side streets, where deliveries tend to be delayed, from Monday to Saturday until 10 a.m., enhancing residents’ convenience in purchasing masks.

The district plans to listen to pharmacies regarding operational issues and difficulties, and sequentially review ways to expand mask delivery support to reduce the workload of pharmacies.

Furthermore, daily on-site monitoring of pharmacies will continue to closely check for any inconveniences experienced by residents and devise improvement measures to minimize residents’ discomfort.

Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Chae Hyun-il stated, “We have disclosed the sales hours so that residents, who have been inconvenienced by inconsistent mask sales hours at each pharmacy, can easily see them at a glance,” and added, “We will strive to support pharmacies selling public masks to protect the lives and safety of our residents.”

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