Incheon City Strengthens Welfare Services for Vulnerable Groups in Response to Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic

Establishment of Non-Face-to-Face Senior Job Project 'Health Partner'
70% Wage Payment During Leave for Disabled Workers
Expansion of Free Meals for Elderly with Food Insecurity

Incheon City Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] As concerns grow over the disruption of welfare services for vulnerable groups due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Incheon City is implementing various measures such as senior job programs, meal assistance, and caregiving services.

According to Incheon City on the 17th, the city closed 1,623 welfare facilities on the 28th of last month, three weeks ahead of the government’s recommendation, to protect seniors and people with disabilities who are vulnerable to infectious diseases.

This measure has caused job losses among vulnerable elderly populations, leading to financial difficulties, suspension of various welfare services, and a need for solutions to alleviate feelings of isolation and depression caused by prolonged restrictions on social activities.

First, as a livelihood measure for vulnerable groups, the city is temporarily operating the "Health Partner" project by converting job programs for low-income seniors aged 65 and over to a non-face-to-face format.

This project involves three seniors checking on each other by phone, and if contact is not made after three attempts, the local town, township, or neighborhood office is notified to prevent welfare blind spots. After surveying demand for participation by district, a pilot operation is planned to start on the 23rd.

A city official explained the background of the Health Partner job project, saying, "Among the senior job programs suspended due to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s closure guidelines, service-type and market-type jobs target seniors with relatively less economic difficulty and thus pose no major issues. However, suspending public service-type jobs for low-income seniors aged 65 and over could threaten their livelihoods."

Additionally, the city plans to actively request the Ministry of Health and Welfare to improve the payment method for senior job wages to allow "advance wage payments with post-work settlement" during emergencies such as infectious disease outbreaks, separate from the Ministry’s "no work, no pay" principle.

The city also decided to pay 70% of wages during the suspension period to disabled workers whose work has been halted due to COVID-19. Furthermore, to prepare for infection isolation of people with disabilities, activity caregivers will be recognized up to family members and relatives, and caregiving service costs will be paid at 13,500 KRW per hour.

As part of psychological support projects to prevent "Corona Blue" (a portmanteau of COVID-19 and depression), the city is considering partially reopening rehabilitation and psychological therapy programs that were suspended due to the long-term closure of disability welfare centers.

After gathering opinions from program staff and users, the city plans to implement these programs with minimized participant numbers, adjusted time intervals, thorough social distancing, and strict prior disinfection measures.

In addition, to protect the homeless, street counseling activities that were conducted once a week will now be held daily, and staple foods such as kimbap and bread, as well as supplies like masks and hot packs, will be continuously provided. For 320 elderly people living alone who face meal difficulties due to the closure of senior centers, free meal services will be available for two months.

An Incheon City official stated, "We will strengthen not only infectious disease prevention activities but also welfare services such as meal assistance and caregiving to ensure that vulnerable groups do not suffer damage from the COVID-19 situation. In particular, we will focus on psychological support projects by providing health activity programs that can be done at home and regularly checking in with them by phone to prevent feelings of isolation and depression."

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