Seocho-gu's Distinctive COVID-19 Response Measures Shine...

Major multi-use facilities such as Express Bus Terminal and Gangnam Station are located here with high foot traffic, yet proactive measures are taken to prevent COVID-19 spread during crises... Especially, the voluntary activities of Seocho Disinfection Team and strict adherence to COVID-19 prevention rules by residents reflect the 'mature civic consciousness' forming the foundation of Seocho-gu's leading nationwide standard COVID-19 administration.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] On January 20th of this year, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 infection occurred in South Korea, and now, six months have passed.

During this time, Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Cho) has taken the lead with swift responses to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the local community.

Seocho-gu, which has a particularly high floating population compared to other districts due to major multi-use facilities such as the Express Bus Terminal and Gangnam Station, formed a Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on January 28th, transitioned to a 24-hour screening clinic operation system, and actively and proactively responded at every critical moment to quickly prevent the spread of the infectious disease.

In March, when the number of confirmed cases rapidly increased due to overseas entrants such as international students, the district was the first in the nation to require all residents who entered the country after the 13th to self-quarantine for two weeks regardless of symptoms and to immediately undergo COVID-19 testing.

With a response faster than even the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the central government, thorough testing was conducted before lifting quarantine. When cases of asymptomatic transmission and re-positive diagnoses after recovery occurred, the district took even bolder measures, such as conducting comprehensive testing of all patients and staff at nursing hospitals?the first in Seoul.

To prevent infections in daily life, the district carefully implemented practical policies such as temporarily allowing the use of disposable items in all dining establishments and installing antimicrobial films with high copper content on elevators in all apartment complexes, small multi-family housing, and officetels.

Additionally, the district led efforts to close public facilities and prevent infections in government buildings and schools using AI robots.

Thanks to these proactive quarantine activities by the district, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area has not significantly increased.

After the first confirmed case in Seoul on January 23rd, no cases occurred until mid-February. The first confirmed case related to Shincheonji was reported on February 21st, and cases increased starting March 20th with overseas entrants, reaching 29, but no cases were reported for 25 days from April 14th to May 10th.

After the government’s transition to ‘distancing in daily life,’ infections related to the Itaewon clubs occurred on May 11th, but proactive responses such as testing asymptomatic residents prevented a significant increase in confirmed cases.

In June, a total of 14 confirmed cases were linked to a multi-level marketing company, but thanks to continuous quarantine efforts, the number of confirmed cases is currently rapidly decreasing. Looking at the infection routes of confirmed cases up to June, out of 57 total cases, 27 (47%) were overseas entrants, 8 (14%) were infected through contact with confirmed cases, 6 (11%) were related to the Richway multi-level marketing company, 2 (3.5%) were related to Shincheonji, 2 (3.5%) were related to Samsung Seoul Hospital, and one case each was linked to Itaewon, financial companies, churches, logistics centers, and visitors from Daegu. Seven cases (12%) are still under investigation for infection routes.

Compared to the overall 23% of overseas entrant infections in Seoul, Seocho-gu’s 47% is high, which is understood to be due to a higher proportion of residents staying abroad for business or sending their children to study overseas.

In particular, the fact that the district’s confirmed cases up to the end of June account for only 57 cases (4.31%) out of Seoul’s total 1,321 cases was possible due to proactive and swift early responses to prevent infection spread, along with the residents’ ‘mature civic consciousness.’

Residents have diligently followed infectious disease prevention guidelines, and Seocho-gu was the first in Seoul where people from their 30s to 70s voluntarily formed the Seocho Quarantine Team and carried out community quarantine activities.

Going forward, the district plans to compile its COVID-19 response strategies to date, publish a white paper incorporating expert evaluations by field and voices from the field.

Seocho-gu Mayor Eunhee Cho stated, “The achievements in quarantine were all possible because of the mature civic consciousness of Seocho residents,” adding, “Although domestic infections have somewhat decreased, there is still a risk of a large-scale outbreak if we become complacent. The district will continue to maintain vigilance and make every effort to ensure the safety of residents.”

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