Gwanak-gu, All Elderly Welfare Facilities Test Negative in COVID-19 Preliminary Screening

Preemptive Testing Completed for 51 Elderly Welfare Facilities from 13th to 21st... All 1,007 Tested Negative

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has conducted and completed proactive COVID-19 diagnostic testing for all users of elderly welfare facilities where health-vulnerable senior citizens live together.

In response to the increase in asymptomatic COVID-19 infections with unknown transmission routes and small-scale cluster infections in elderly welfare facilities, the district conducted proactive mass testing over seven days from the 13th to the 21st to preemptively block the spread of community infections.

A mobile testing team consisting of a total of nine members, including healthcare and administrative support personnel, visited the facilities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays to carry out the testing.

The testing targeted a total of 51 elderly welfare facilities located in 16 neighborhoods within the district, including ▲18 elderly nursing communal living homes ▲10 elderly nursing facilities ▲23 day and night care centers.

This testing employed pooled testing methods (units of five) to conduct short-term testing on a large number of people for early detection.

Out of 1,077 elderly welfare facility users in the area, 1,007 people (94% of the current population), excluding 70 who had already been tested or were long-term absentees, completed the testing, and all tested negative.

Additionally, facility staff are also undergoing mass testing at designated municipal hospitals in cooperation with Seoul City, making every effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

The district stated that if it deems proactive testing necessary after inspecting other vulnerable facilities in the area, it will respond proactively through the mobile testing team.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Amid the prolonged COVID-19 situation, we decided to conduct proactive testing to protect health-vulnerable groups and elderly citizens with underlying conditions,” adding, “We will do our utmost to prevent community spread and transmission to safeguard the health and safety of our residents.”

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