Seoul Jung-gu Prioritizes Protection of Vulnerable Groups During Heatwaves

Taking Heatwave Measures Including Welfare Checks Within 48 Hours After Heatwave Advisory and Air Conditioner Support

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] As temperatures in May rose by a staggering 3℃ compared to 100 years ago, and with this year’s heatwave expected to be severe, Jung-gu (Mayor Seoyangho) has prioritized protecting vulnerable groups by implementing heatwave measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 22nd, Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, held a heatwave countermeasure meeting at the disaster comprehensive situation room on the 5th floor of Jung-gu Office. He stated, "This summer requires more thorough preparation than ever as we face the highest heatwave on record amid concerns over the community spread of COVID-19," and took time to pre-inspect various heatwave measures and manuals.

Following this, on the 22nd and 23rd, all Jung-gu staff checked on the well-being of about 1,500 vulnerable households, including elderly living alone, disabled persons, and those with chronic illnesses, through phone calls or visits, and identified additional support needs.

On the afternoon of the 23rd, Mayor Seoyangho personally visited two households of elderly people in their 80s living alone in Sindang-dong, listened to their difficulties, delivered summer blankets and cool scarves, and guided them on heatwave prevention measures to ensure their safety.

The district completed air conditioner installation support for 76 vulnerable households, including patients with mobility difficulties, families with infants and multiple children, and high-risk elderly living alone. By the end of June, an additional 14 households will receive air conditioner installation support, totaling 90 households.

Additionally, 500 low-income households without any cooling equipment or complaining of discomfort due to old equipment were provided with fans, which were distributed through local community centers.

Furthermore, to assist vulnerable groups who received cooling equipment but are unable to use them properly due to concerns about electricity bills, a plan is in place to provide 30,000 KRW in electricity fees to a total of 500 households in July.

A housing environment improvement project to install insect screens on the entrances of 70 vulnerable households will also be completed by early July. A total of 117.5 million KRW in donations from the Community Chest of Korea has been invested in this cooling equipment support and housing environment improvement project.

To prevent heat-related illnesses among vulnerable groups while curbing the spread of COVID-19, indoor heatwave shelters will be flexibly operated at 15 local community centers. In July, 16 outdoor open-type heatwave shelters will be established and operated using outdoor idle spaces in parks, community centers, or senior centers. A designated quarantine officer will manage indoor heatwave shelters to ensure thorough disinfection, ventilation, and other preventive measures.

Mayor Seoyangho of Jung-gu said, "We will respond more swiftly than ever this summer to ensure there are no gaps in safety management for vulnerable groups amid disasters such as COVID-19, heatwaves, and heavy rains. We will continue to immediately address any shortcomings found during the implementation of quarantine or disaster-related measures and focus all our efforts on minimizing the inconvenience and damage experienced by residents."

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