Seocho-gu Releases Movement Paths of COVID-19 Confirmed Cases and Supports Affected Businesses

Sales Hit at Restaurants Included in Confirmed Patients' Routes... Local Businesses Encouraged to Join Efforts to Revive Regional Economy Struggling Due to COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seocho-gu (District Mayor Eunhee Jo, photo) has rolled up its sleeves together with companies to help restaurants struggling with business difficulties due to the increasing disclosure of confirmed COVID-19 patients' movement paths.

As confirmed patients' movement paths are disclosed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community, restaurants visited by confirmed patients are suffering from a sharp decline in customers.

A restaurant in Seocho-dong said, "Our business name and address remain on the COVID app and online, causing a significant hit to our sales," expressing their frustration.

However, establishments visited by confirmed patients are immediately disinfected and closed for 24 hours. Although the virus is eliminated on the day of disinfection, use is prohibited for 24 hours considering the potential hazards of disinfectants. Not only the visited establishment but also the entire building and surrounding areas undergo thorough disinfection, making them even safer.

Nevertheless, once the movement path is disclosed, residents' visits sharply drop due to fear of virus infection, causing great difficulties in business.

In response, the district is promoting a restaurant revival project linking restaurants affected by movement path disclosures with nearby companies such as Seoul Metro and KCC to help local restaurants that have seen a sharp decline in customers due to confirmed COVID-19 patients' visits. Twenty affected restaurants will be prioritized and matched one-to-one with large corporations and public institutions nearby to ensure stable business operations through visits. Currently, five companies are participating with three restaurants, and the district plans to gradually increase participating companies to support restaurants affected by movement path disclosures and revitalize the local commercial district.

Earlier in February, when a local 00 Gamjatang restaurant visited by a confirmed patient suffered a sharp drop in sales due to continuous media reports, District Mayor Eunhee Jo personally visited the restaurant, delivering a warm message of support and creating a positive influence in the community.

District office employees visited the Gamjatang restaurant located 3 km away daily by department to directly support the restaurant revival, and residents who learned of this through social media participated in a relay of goodwill stories and restaurant visits inspired by the mayor's warm gesture.

Additionally, the Seocho-gu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Chairman: Myungman Kim) is also joining efforts to support businesses affected by movement path disclosures due to COVID-19. They are conducting a relay of visit certifications to affected businesses among their approximately 5,100 member companies. Members post visit certification photos on their SNS and on the band platform, encouraging friendly competition among members and spreading the campaign throughout the region through participation from various sectors including SNS followers.

Moreover, the Seocho-gu Chamber of Commerce and Industry donated a total of 8 million KRW to the district to support grandparent-grandchild households in welfare blind spots. The district plans to select eight beneficiary families and provide 1 million KRW each for daily necessities.

Donation Handover Ceremony

District Mayor Eunhee Jo of Seocho-gu said, "We will do our best to revitalize the stagnant local commercial district by encouraging more institutions and companies to voluntarily participate so that small business owners struggling due to the disclosure of confirmed patients' movement paths can operate stably."

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