Gwangju Bank Operates Heat Relief Shelters at All Branches

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Bank (President Song Jong-wook) announced on the 23rd that it will operate heatwave shelters at 145 branches in the Gwangju, Jeonnam, and metropolitan areas from the 23rd until September 29.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasts that this summer will be much hotter than usual, expecting the number of heatwave days in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions to last between 12 to 17 days, exceeding the average of 5.9 days.

However, due to the impact of COVID-19, heatwave shelters?spaces where the elderly and heat-vulnerable groups can temporarily escape the heat?have been closed.

In the Gwangju area, 82% (1,193 out of 1,452) of heatwave shelters are not operating, and in the 22 cities and counties of Jeonnam, about 90% (approximately 6,700 out of 7,480) of the total heatwave shelters are closed.

The Gwangju Bank heatwave shelters, which operate during business hours, provide cool bottled water and fans free of charge to visitors to help them cool down. Located in areas with high foot traffic, these shelters are expected to be easily accessible and convenient to use.

In particular, by opening the heatwave shelters to everyone regardless of banking transactions, they are expected to serve as a community gathering place loved by customers and local residents alike.

Amid ongoing social distancing measures due to the spread of COVID-19, Gwangju Bank’s heatwave shelters will guide users to maintain social distancing, conduct continuous disinfection and sanitation, and operate in compliance with quarantine guidelines.

Park Ki-won, Head of Sales Planning at Gwangju Bank, said, “Although more severe heatwaves than usual are expected, it is regrettable that heat-vulnerable groups cannot use heatwave shelters due to COVID-19, so we decided to operate Gwangju Bank’s heatwave shelters as planned. As a representative bank of Gwangju and Jeonnam, we will take the lead in various support activities, from social contribution to financial assistance, to overcome the difficulties of COVID-19 together.”

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