Diplomat Stockpiling Supplies for New York Korean Community

Consul General Jang Won-sam in New York Comforts Korean Residents with Personal Donations Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Korean American Medical Association in New York Volunteers for Antibody Testing
As Infection Rates Ease, Consulate and Businesses Prepare to Resume Operations

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Jang Won-sam, Consul General of New York, is using his personal funds to help the Korean community in New York suffering from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Jang Won-sam, Consul General of New York (right), is presenting a donation to Lee Hyun-ji, President of the New York Korean Medical Association (left).

On the 2nd (local time), Consul General Jang attended an antibody testing event held by the New York Korean Medical Association at the Korean Volunteer Center in Queens, New York City, and made a personal donation. This is not the first time Consul General Jang has donated. Previously, he collected funds with the consulate staff to deliver 173 bags of rice and also made a personal donation to the New York Korean Association.

New York is the region with the highest number of COVID-19 cases not only in the United States but also worldwide. The New York Consulate General was unable to conduct overseas voting for the recent general election. Due to the severe situation in New York, the voting rights of overseas Koreans could not be guaranteed.

On this day, volunteers composed of the New York Korean Medical Association and Korean medical students conducted COVID-19 antibody tests for Koreans and local residents. In New York, both the recently started antibody tests and official COVID-19 tests remain difficult to access, which is why many Koreans and nearby residents arrived at the testing site earlier than their scheduled times. The Korean Medical Association plans to support testing for Koreans by conducting genetic tests using donated Korean-made test kits in the future.

Medical staff volunteering for antibody testing are wearing protective equipment.

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of this day, the number of COVID-19 infections in New York State has increased to 316,415. The death toll has reached 67,451. Narrowing the scope to New York City alone, the cumulative number of infections is 174,331.

Lee Hyun-ji, president of the New York Korean Medical Association, explained, "Recently, there has been a clear decline in the number of COVID-19 patients and emergency room visits in New York." The number of deaths is also noticeably decreasing. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that 280 COVID-19 deaths were recorded within 24 hours on this day. The daily new infection count has dropped from a peak of about 11,000 to around 4,000 recently.

New York State has issued a stay-at-home order until the 15th but is focusing more on partial easing rather than further extension. Accordingly, major Korean companies operating locally are seeking to resume work. The New York Consulate General's civil service office, which had been closed, will decide on reopening while monitoring New York City's guidelines.

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