Seodaemun-gu, Preventing Local Spread of COVID-19 Through Foreigners

Guidance on 'COVID-19 Testing' for Foreign Workers in Restaurants, Construction Sites, etc... 'Free COVID-19 Testing Support for Foreigners' and 'Temporary Suspension of Illegal Immigrant Crackdown'

An employee of Seodaemun-gu Public Health Center (left) is providing information about 'COVID-19 testing for foreigners' to a representative of a lodging facility.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) has initiated guidance for testing targeting industries with a high frequency of foreign employment to prevent the local spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) through foreigners.

Currently, unregistered foreigners and unauthorized employment workers suspected of infectious diseases are exempt from costs for testing, just like Korean nationals.

Also, if an illegal immigrant receives medical treatment at a medical institution for COVID-19-related symptoms, they will not be reported to the immigration office, and enforcement actions will be deferred.

If the employer ensures that foreign workers get tested at a nearby screening clinic according to the "Action Guidelines in Case of Confirmed or Symptomatic Patients," the employer's penalty fines will be reduced if illegal stay enforcement occurs later.

The district office is delivering notices containing this information to restaurants, construction sites, tourism accommodation businesses, beauty salons, etc., while also strengthening cooperation with local professional organizations such as the restaurant and lodging associations.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, stated, "Since foreigners have lower access to medical care and information compared to Korean nationals, we will actively inform local foreign employment workplaces about the exemption of COVID-19 testing costs and notification obligations."

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