Senior Centers and Welfare Facilities in North Jeolla to Reopen from July 20

Regional Children's Centers and Group Care Centers Remain Closed
Due to the Need for Cooling Shelters for Seniors

[Asia Economy Honam News Bureau, reporter Lee Geonju] North Jeolla Province announced that, starting July 20, it will gradually reopen certain social welfare facilities that had been closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including senior centers and welfare centers for the elderly designated as cooling shelters for seniors.

According to the province on July 16, the facilities subject to reopening include seven types: welfare centers for people with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation facilities for people with disabilities, daytime care centers for people with disabilities, social welfare centers, welfare centers for the elderly, senior centers, and day and night care centers for the elderly.

Before resuming operations, the provincial and municipal governments are conducting pre-inspections of each facility to ensure compliance with quarantine guidelines. This includes checking the designation and operation of quarantine managers, the availability of quarantine supplies, and whether regular disinfection is being carried out.

Even after reopening, the province and municipalities plan to make every effort to prevent the introduction of COVID-19 by continuously monitoring overall operations. This includes restricting entry for those not wearing masks and visitors from other regions, as well as excluding staff members who have visited areas with COVID-19 outbreaks from work duties.

In addition, the facilities reopening at this time are allowed to operate under the current "Level 1 Social Distancing" (previously everyday social distancing) guidelines. However, if the alert is raised to Level 2, they must close again. Even under Level 1, if a large number of confirmed cases occur, municipalities have the discretion to suspend operations.

On the other hand, regional children's centers and group care centers will remain closed in accordance with the Ministry of Health and Welfare's policy. The province stated, "Since these two facilities are small and densely populated, we have decided to focus on providing emergency care rather than resuming full operations."

Meanwhile, following the central government's recommendation to suspend social welfare facilities, 7,013 out of 8,426 user facilities in the province, excluding daycare centers and youth facilities, remain closed.

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