Proactive Diagnostic Testing for Central Asia Street Business Workers

Seoul Jung-gu to Operate Temporary Screening Clinic at Ssangnim Children's Park on 16-17th, Testing Over 100 People

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Infectious diseases are showing signs of resurgence, with a surge in new COVID-19 cases in Central Asian countries, becoming a major source of overseas COVID-19 inflow into South Korea.

Accordingly, Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Seo Yang-ho) set up an outdoor temporary screening clinic in front of the Gwanghui-dong Community Service Center at Ssangnim Children's Park and conducted proactive COVID-19 diagnostic testing on business workers in the Central Asia Street area from the 16th to the 17th to prevent cluster outbreaks of COVID-19.

The Central Asia Street in Gwanghui-dong is a place where many foreigners from Central Asia, including Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, gather.

On the 13th, Jung-gu held a meeting with business workers in Central Asia Street at the Gwanghui-dong Community Service Center to discuss the testing schedule and location for COVID-19 testing. In addition, staff directly visited and promoted the testing to ensure all workers could be tested. Since it is a place where Central Asians gather, contact with recent arrivals from Central Asia and other regions was also thoroughly checked.

The COVID-19 diagnostic tests conducted over two days on the 16th and 17th used a mobile walk-through specimen collection booth prepared to be used flexibly regardless of time and place to respond effectively to prevent community spread.

The mobile walk-through specimen collection booth is a wheeled booth designed to be moved anywhere testing is needed for rapid testing. It separates medical staff and test subjects and collects specimens through glove-attached holes. Inside, it is equipped with a positive pressure system to block external virus inflow, and an integrated heating and cooling system is installed inside the booth, enabling outdoor specimen collection even in hot summer weather like now.

Thanks to this, medical staff were able to complete testing for a total of 92 Central Asia Street workers without contact with the test subjects. The district is also making thorough follow-up measures based on test results, and the testing is completely free of charge.

Health authorities have designated Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and others as 'strengthened quarantine target countries' and have strengthened entry management. Foreigners entering from these countries are required to submit a negative result certificate from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Jung-gu will take proactive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community and boldly defend by conducting comprehensive testing of all business workers in Central Asia Street. Apart from testing, we will continuously focus on quarantine until the day COVID-19 ends and will not let our guard down. Although the hot weather is challenging, we ask everyone to wear hygienic masks and strictly follow personal prevention rules."

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