Haenam-gun, All-Out Effort to Prevent Community Spread of COVID-19

Full Implementation of Electronic Entry Logs Reduces Effectiveness of Roadside Fever Screening Stations

Haenam-gun operates fever screening stations and electronic entry logs at major public institutions and multi-use facilities. (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, Haenam-gun is thoroughly preventing the spread of the infection by operating fever screening stations and electronic entry logs at major public institutions and multi-use facilities.

According to Haenam-gun on the 24th, a total of 297 locations, including the county office, 33 town and township offices, and 236 high-risk facilities such as entertainment bars and karaoke rooms, have installed and are operating electronic entry log systems using QR codes.

Additionally, fever screening stations using thermal imaging cameras are being operated at 10 locations, including major tourist sites such as Ttangkkeut Observatory and Dinosaur Fossil Site, the Namdo Regional Memorial Park, and seven funeral halls within the jurisdiction.

In particular, the Haenam General Bus Terminal, where buses from inside and outside the area come and go, conducts fever checks on all entrants from the first bus at 5:50 a.m. until the last route at midnight.

However, the operation of road fever screening stations, which was conducted for about a month from the end of March, is being carefully reviewed due to reduced effectiveness caused by various factors.

Unlike some local governments that can only enter and exit through one connected bridge, Haenam-gun has seven roads connected from outside areas, requiring an average of 546 staff members per day to operate.

Concerns about administrative gaps and inconvenience to residents have arisen, and it has been found that asymptomatic individuals, predicted to be as high as 59%, cannot be detected through fever screening, leading to opinions that the method is ineffective.

Furthermore, ongoing monsoon rains and summer heatwaves have increased concerns about equipment malfunction, traffic congestion near fever screening stations, and the risk of traffic accidents, causing additional complaints.

The county emphasizes that the most important way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to strictly follow personal hygiene rules such as wearing masks and refraining from large gatherings, and to avoid contact with confirmed cases. They are actively requesting cooperation from residents while preparing practical response measures.

A Haenam-gun official stated, “As COVID-19 is spreading to the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas, residents’ anxiety is increasing, so we are thoroughly disinfecting multi-use facilities. Fever screening stations are being meticulously operated focusing on entrants to major facilities within the jurisdiction, so we ask all residents to actively cooperate.”

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