Park Neung-hoo "Proactive Testing for High-Risk Facilities Should Be Actively Considered Like in Gwangju and Incheon"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of Health and Welfare, urged local governments on the 30th to "actively consider proactive diagnostic testing targeting high-risk facilities for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)."

At the CDSCH meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Deputy Head Park said, "Proactive diagnostic testing can detect asymptomatic infected individuals, protect them, prevent further spread, and find hidden infections within the community, thereby alleviating citizens' concerns."

He cited Gwangju and Incheon as exemplary cases. Deputy Head Park explained, "Gwangju City conducted diagnostic tests on about 30,000 people, including residents and workers of nursing facilities and nursing hospitals, even though they were not subject to mandatory investigation like contacts of confirmed cases. Incheon City also tested workers at high-risk facilities such as elderly welfare centers and postpartum care centers, and conducted mobile quarantine inspections for the homeless and residents of jjokbangchon (small rooms or lodging houses)."

He added, "The domestic COVID-19 mortality rate is 0.7% for people in their 30s, but it rises to 9.5% for those in their 70s and 25% for those in their 80s," emphasizing, "The older the age, the more caution and protection are needed."

The government also announced that 72 additional Iraqi construction workers are scheduled to return on the 31st as part of the second repatriation.

Deputy Head Park said, "There is a high possibility that the number of confirmed cases will be considerable, as was the case during the previous repatriation last week," and added, "The government will do its best to ensure the safety and health of the people throughout the entire process of diagnosis and treatment after their return."

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