Local Governments Take the Lead in Preventing the Spread of 'COVID-19'; What Are Public Enterprises Doing?

Gwangsan-gu Installs 'Fever Detectors' at Songjeong Station and Airport for Proactive Response

Public Enterprises Demand from Districts Rather Than Purchasing... Emphasizing Shared Responsibilities

A thermal detector has been installed at the exit of Gwangju Songjeong Station, causing hundreds of passengers disembarking from trains to be congested due to a bottleneck. This situation is far from the government's strong recommendation of 'social distancing,' leading to public complaints.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters reporters Yoon Jamin and Kim Yukbong] “With the spread of COVID-19, the government is strongly recommending measures like ‘social distancing,’ but is this a different country? Shouldn't they increase the number of cameras or take other measures to disperse the crowd when people gather?”

This is the voice of a citizen who arrived at Gwangju Songjeong Station using the KTX around 7 p.m. on the 26th.

At this time, hundreds of passengers who got off the train were lined up in a single file to pass in front of the ‘fever detection device’ installed at the exit.

Although each citizen was wearing a mask, the continuous pushing from behind made the distance between people appear to be less than 50 cm.

Some citizens in the middle, who stopped instead of moving forward, peeked sideways to see the situation ahead.

After waiting in line for a long time, Mr. Jeong (46) who finally got through said, “Operating the fever detection device to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is a very good intention, but with so many people crowded here, I feel anxious about the risk of infection,” and added with a dissatisfied tone, “It seems necessary to add more passageways or take other measures to avoid delays.”

As COVID-19 spreads and the government strongly recommends ‘social distancing’ not only in Gwangju but nationwide, the current situation at crowded public places urgently calls for countermeasures.

Moreover, while local districts are taking the lead in proactive responses to prevent COVID-19, the attitude of public enterprises is quite different.

Gwangsan District held an emergency meeting on the 4th of last month after a COVID-19 case was confirmed in the area and installed and operated fever detection devices at Songjeong Station, the main gateway of Gwangju, and Gwangju Airport. Two devices were installed at Songjeong Station and one at the airport.

However, as the spread of COVID-19 continued, the district judged that a device should also be installed at the Gwangsan District Office, which has a large floating population, and withdrew one device from Songjeong Station. Although they could have purchased and installed an additional device, they did not because each fever detection device costs about 15 million won and it was difficult to procure them nationwide.

Accordingly, after consulting with Korail, Gwangsan District decided to close one exit at Songjeong Station that did not have a fever detection device. The problem is that passengers are crowding into the remaining exit, raising concerns about group infections as it is far from ‘social distancing.’

As complaints from passengers grew louder, Songjeong Station requested Gwangsan District on the 27th to provide one more fever detection device on the condition that the station would supply the personnel. In response, Gwangsan District urgently allocated a budget, purchased one more device, and provided it on the 30th.

Personnel operation is reportedly still under internal discussion.

The strange thing is that although it is insufficient for public enterprises to actively purchase or secure devices themselves to prevent the spread of COVID-19, they only rely on support from the local district. Because of this, passengers’ complaints about the passive attitude of public enterprises are increasing.

In response, Songjeong Station claims that rather than purchasing and installing fever detection devices, they disinfect the station’s internal restrooms and waiting rooms twice daily using disinfectants and are doing their best to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The reason for not purchasing fever detection devices directly is not the cost of the equipment but the division of roles in responding to COVID-19, according to station officials.

They state that they will purchase hand sanitizers and other items directly used by passengers regardless of cost, but the responsibility for blocking symptomatic individuals at the source lies with local governments.

Also, if additional fever detection devices were operated, professional personnel capable of accompanying symptomatic individuals would be required. Given that the number of train passengers has decreased by 30-40% compared to before, they judged that it would be unnecessary to waste the manpower of the Gwangsan District Health Center.

A Songjeong Station official said, “For safety reasons, one exit will be maintained as is, but we plan to create one more line using non-contact thermometers and have staff guide passengers to maintain safe distances.”

The situation at Gwangju Airport is similar.

Initially, one fever detection device was operated at the airport by Gwangsan District, but due to recent complaints from passengers, the airport requested one more device from the district on the condition that they would provide the operating personnel themselves.

In response, the district urgently allocated a budget, purchased the device, and provided it to Gwangju Airport, so currently two devices are in operation at the airport.

Of course, once COVID-19 ends, the frequency of using fever detection devices is expected to decrease, so it may be burdensome for companies to purchase them independently.

However, as the spread of COVID-19 prolongs, and movements such as the ‘Good Rent Campaign’ and ‘Donations’ are happening everywhere in society, the claim of ‘role division’ seems far from the current situation.

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