Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok Urgently Orders 'Special COVID-19 Prevention Measures' for Nursing Hospitals and Others

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, has urgently ordered special measures for infection prevention at nursing hospitals and nursing homes within the province.

This action follows a large-scale COVID-19 cluster infection involving 53 people at a nursing hospital in Busan.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 15th, there are currently 90 nursing hospitals and 308 nursing homes in the Jeonnam area, where approximately 23,000 elderly people are receiving care.

Most of them are elderly and vulnerable to infection, raising serious concerns about cluster infections, severe cases, and deaths if COVID-19 spreads.

Following Governor Kim's special directive, the province will conduct comprehensive COVID-19 testing using the pooling method for about 13,000 workers at nursing hospitals and nursing homes within the province.

Due to the continued occurrence of COVID-19 infections with unknown transmission routes, a full investigation has been ordered to block further spread. The full survey will begin with local governments in the suburban areas of Gwangju, where mobility is high.

To minimize contact with outsiders, visits will be restricted to non-contact visits, and outings and overnight stays for users will be prohibited.

Access control will also be strengthened. Existing controls targeting visitors and workers will be expanded to include patient transport personnel, delivery workers, and pharmaceutical sales representatives for detailed management.

Efforts to improve the culture of hospital visits will also continue.

Since hospital visits can pose infection risks to both patients and visitors, active promotion will be undertaken to reduce the total number of visits.

So far, the province has designated dedicated public officials for infection prevention at nursing hospitals and nursing homes, making strenuous efforts such as daily monitoring of compliance with quarantine rules and checking symptoms of patients and workers.

Additionally, the province has provided maximum support for quarantine supplies, including 59,000 masks, 6,042 protective suits, and 398 non-contact thermometers.

In fact, in August and September, four confirmed cases occurred at two nursing homes located in Mokpo and Jangseong, but rapid cohort isolation of the facilities and isolating confirmed patients with protective suits prevented further confirmed cases through solid initial response measures.

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