Dongjak-gu Operates 40 Cooling Centers for COVID-19 Response

Operation of 40 Heat Relief Centers Until August 31... Open Weekdays from 9 AM to 6 PM... ▲Government Offices ▲Heatwave Shelters ▲Outdoor Heat Relief Centers ▲Night Safety Lodgings Operated According to Situations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Changwoo Lee) will operate senior cooling centers that simultaneously prevent heat-related illnesses among heat-vulnerable seniors and curb the spread of COVID-19 until August 31.

The cooling centers include a total of 40 locations: ▲16 government office rest areas ▲4 heatwave shelters ▲18 outdoor cooling centers ▲2 nighttime safety accommodations.

First, the government office rest areas will be open from today at the district office civil service center and 15 community service centers’ auditoriums on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During heatwave warnings, community service centers will extend weekday hours until 9 p.m. and open on holidays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

From July 22 to August 14, heatwave shelters will be installed and operated at ▲District Office Auditorium (20 people) ▲Dongjak-gu Citizens Sports Center (30 people) ▲Heukseok Sports Center (20 people) ▲Sadang Comprehensive Sports Center (40 people), with capacity limits to ensure social distancing.

The heatwave shelters will follow a one-person-one-tent rule, maintaining at least 2 meters of distance, and offer non-activity programs such as free movie screenings. Operating hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., extended to 9 p.m. on weekdays and holidays during heatwave warnings.

Outdoor cooling centers operate at 18 locations, including three large parks?Noryangjin Neighborhood Park, Samil Park, and Nodeulnaru Park?and 15 small parks by district, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The district plans to utilize existing facilities such as pavilions and tree shade in parks or install tents and shade structures to create resting spaces, along with ice boxes providing cold drinks like iced water.

Finally, nighttime safety accommodations operate from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day during nighttime heatwave warnings. However, applications for accommodations are only available for low-income seniors aged 60 or older and when nurses or social workers from community care centers deem it necessary.

To operate nighttime safety accommodations, the district signed MOUs with two local support facilities: ▲Handpick Hotel and ▲Kojaja Motel.

All cooling centers designate COVID-19 prevention managers and implement thorough measures such as ▲visitor logs ▲temperature checks ▲hand sanitizer use ▲ventilation to prioritize user safety.

To minimize contact between people in accordance with social distancing, the number of users is limited to 50% or less of the facility’s maximum capacity, and a distance of at least 2 meters between users is maintained.

Additionally, to ensure the safety of heat-vulnerable seniors, 130 disaster helpers including public officials and life support workers have been selected and are operating. Cooling supplies such as fans and cool mats are also being provided to low-income vulnerable senior households with poor living conditions until August 14.

Lee Sunhee, Director of the Senior and Disabled Division, said, “This year, we will do our best to operate the cooling centers so that vulnerable seniors and residents can be safe from COVID-19 and the heat.” She added, “We ask all residents to thoroughly practice personal hygiene as individuals responsible for preventing the spread of COVID-19.”

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