Seongap Kim, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, Issues Urgent Message to Residents Amid Rapid Increase in COVID-19 Cases

Mandatory Mask Wearing Administrative Order for Users and Workers of Multi-use Facilities ▲ Obligation to Keep Entry Logs and Adherence to Social Distancing Level 2 ▲ Improvement and Strengthening of Existing Quarantine System, Request for Ideas from Residents ▲ Announced via District Office Website, Official SNS, and Social Broadcast Official Channels

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, recently issued an urgent message to residents, judging that there are many risk factors as confirmed COVID-19 cases have rapidly increased in Seoul and the metropolitan area over the past week, including an increase in confirmed cases within the district.

Mayor Kim said, "I apologize for delivering the news that the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases is rapidly increasing during the Liberation Day holiday period," and added, "From August 8 to the 16th, a short period, 21 additional confirmed cases have occurred."

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Gwangjin-gu has maintained the lowest number of confirmed cases relative to its population among Seoul's autonomous districts through residents' efforts and a thorough quarantine system. After the 22nd confirmed case, no new cases occurred for more than half a month, but from August 8, confirmed cases suddenly increased.

As of the 17th, the total number of confirmed cases in Gwangjin-gu is 46, ranking fifth lowest among the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul.

Therefore, the Gwangjin-gu Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters analyzed the causes of the rapid increase by type (as of August 16), finding that infections among family members due to external infection accounted for the largest proportion at 50%, followed by 24% related to a specific church in Seoul, and 19% from small gatherings including Lotteria.

Mayor Kim expressed regret, saying, "Our district has protected the safety of residents with pride in achieving zero community infections and the lowest number of confirmed cases relative to population among Seoul's autonomous districts, thanks to the mature civic consciousness and active participation of 350,000 residents."

He continued, "To block the recent rapid spread of COVID-19 in Seoul and the metropolitan area, we plan to improve and strengthen the existing quarantine system and implement stronger administrative measures. We will further reinforce the existing administrative order mandating mask-wearing and take strong actions such as filing complaints against businesses that violate this."

Additionally, he announced, "According to COVID-19 quarantine standards, public facility programs that were operated on a small scale have been completely suspended for the time being, except for emergency care."

Since July 1, Gwangjin-gu has been enforcing an administrative order mandating mask-wearing for approximately 9,000 users and workers of multi-use facilities.

Finally, Mayor Kim appealed to residents, saying, "This is a time when residents' cooperation is urgently required," urging them to comply with social distancing, mandatory mask-wearing, and preventive measures such as electronic entry logs and user registration when using various facilities.

He also said, "If there are inefficiencies in the current COVID-19 quarantine system, please point them out," and "If there are gaps in Gwangjin-gu's quarantine system, please join us in sharing wisdom and proposing ways to fill those gaps," delivering an urgent message.

Mayor Kim Seon-gap's urgent COVID-19 message can be found on the district office website and official SNS (blog, Facebook) as well as official social broadcasting channels (YouTube, Naver TV).

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