Gangnam-gu Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun Accepts Proposal to Use Integrated Union Self-Quarantine App

Integrated Union Proposes Using Government-Developed Self-Quarantine Management App to Alleviate Staff Shortages at Dong Community Centers; District Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun Accepts

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, has received a request from the Integrated Labor Union (Branch Chief Lim Seong-cheol) to allow the use of the government-developed self-quarantine app (APP) for managing self-quarantined individuals, and promptly accepted it, earning applause.

Branch Chief Lim Seong-cheol issued a statement titled "Appealing for the Participation of Mid-level Managers in Self-Quarantine Monitoring~" on the 21st, expressing his welcome by saying, "Mayor Jung Soon-gyun gave instructions at the COVID-19 countermeasure meeting the day before to adjust work so that the workload of the Dong community center staff would not increase and sought reasonable solutions."

He also said, "On that day, the General Affairs Division reduced the number of self-quarantine monitoring personnel at the Dong community center to four. I hope that among the four, two (50%) will be voluntarily filled by the team leaders of the Dong community center," and added, "I hope the Disaster Safety Division also manages self-quarantined individuals mainly through mid-level managers."

The team leaders recalled their days as clerks who worked harder than anyone else and added that they hope to set an example in the simple management of self-quarantined individuals to protect their beloved juniors.

Branch Chief Lim said, "The deadline for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's emergency disaster living expenses, which started on March 30, is until the end of this month, and the government’s emergency disaster relief fund payment is until August 18, so it is true that the Dong community center is short-staffed," adding, "Fortunately, since the government’s emergency disaster relief fund is also accepted at card companies and banks, it has been more dispersed than expected, so the congestion at the Dong community center is less compared to the time of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s emergency disaster living expenses payment."

However, he conveyed the difficulties of the Dong community center staff who must stay at their posts and work regardless of whether civil petitioners come or not, saying that although the workload intensity has decreased, the amount of work has not.

He also mentioned that if they are also on weekend COVID-19 emergency standby, monitoring self-quarantined individuals, and working at Suseo Station SRT (high-speed train), the staff practically have no weekend rest.

Therefore, he suggested that until the end of June, when the government’s emergency disaster relief fund payment is somewhat resolved and calmed down, team leaders should actively take charge of managing self-quarantined individuals, and requested that the Disaster Safety Division assign as many personnel as possible to mid-level managers. He also asked for institutional improvement so that masks distributed to staff can be received all at once when collecting self-quarantine supplies from the health center.

Along with this, he said, "I heard that there are many civil complaints from district office staff regarding the designation and management of self-quarantine," and explained, "There are complaints saying, 'We are busy too, so why does only the Dong community center work?' This is not to say that self-quarantine management should be removed because the Dong community center staff are busy during the government’s emergency disaster relief fund payment period, but rather a proposal to minimize personnel mobilization during the busy period and, after that period, to allocate the same number of personnel as the district office staff worked and change the order of work," asking for flexibility.

He particularly stated that the instruction to visit daily without weekends to manage thoroughly was a directive before the self-quarantine app (APP) was developed and is not appropriate at the current time. He argued that it is sufficient to consider those who trigger the self-quarantine departure alarm as persons requiring caution and to visit daily as a principle.

He mentioned that these days, video calls can be appropriately used to manage self-quarantined individuals, and that since the punishment regulations have been strengthened, there is also an atmosphere of refraining from going out due to fear of criminal punishment.

Branch Chief Lim said, "I mean that daily visits including weekends are not necessary, and please change the system so that visits can be made only when necessary," adding, "When designated as a self-quarantined individual, there were no weekends for two weeks. That was the case for both the district office and the Dong community center."

He concluded by saying, "Unlike last year, there is a mood where department heads cannot dare report to the mayor, so the labor union is making a proposal."

In response to these criticisms from the Integrated Labor Union, Gangnam-gu sent an official letter on the 22nd titled "Change in Self-Quarantine Management Measures and Request for Thorough Management," stating that ▲ the self-quarantine safety app will be used to check for departure and self-diagnosis (10 a.m. and 8 p.m.) ▲ two surprise phone checks per day ▲ three to four or more surprise visits during the self-quarantine period to check for departure will be conducted.

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