[Interview] Seong Changhyun, Yongsan District Mayor: "Zero Confirmed Cases on Halloween Day"

Former Halloween Day measures effective... Zero confirmed cases after incubation period... District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun: "We must follow quarantine rules while supporting the economy"... '2020 Light Lantern Festival of Hope' continues in Itaewon with Seoul Tourism Foundation until year-end

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] "We must strictly follow the guidelines to protect both quarantine measures and the economy simultaneously."

Just half a month ago, Yongsan-gu in Seoul was on high alert. Ahead of Halloween on October 31, special measures against the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were implemented intensively. And as of the 17th, considering the incubation period after Halloween, there have been zero confirmed cases.

At that time, Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Jang-hyun continuously conducted inspections of quarantine rules at 174 high-risk facilities in the Itaewon area, including entertainment bars, PC rooms, and karaoke rooms. These inspections covered the installation of electronic entry logs, symptom checks for employees, mask-wearing, maintaining at least 1 meter distance between users, and operation of staggered break times. He warned that if violations were found, assembly bans and fines would be imposed, and strict enforcement was carried out on site. Mayor Seong said, "It is estimated that more than 70,000 to 80,000 people visited Itaewon during Halloween this year as well," adding, "However, as of the 17th, two weeks (the maximum incubation period) later, there have been no confirmed cases related to Halloween."

The reason the district responded so promptly was due to the painful experience residents and merchants endured from the so-called 'club-originated infections' in May. At that time, it was confirmed that confirmed cases from other regions had visited 11 clubs and bars in Itaewon, causing a major outbreak in the district. The district conducted a full survey of club visitors, securing a list of 12,189 people and quickly notified them via phone calls or text messages. Mayor Seong said, "Although the district responded swiftly, there were inevitably limitations in post-response," and added, "We will continue to conduct on-site inspections to prevent any unfortunate incidents and do our best."

Although Halloween passed without major issues, due to the nature of Itaewon as a location where many people gather, events will continue through the end of the year. It is not feasible to simply block visits and leave the local economy to decline. Facing this dilemma, Mayor Seong said, "The '2020 Light Lantern Festival of Hope' will be held in the Itaewon area at the end of the year," and urged, "Merchants are operating while strictly following quarantine rules, so we ask citizens not to forget Itaewon and to continue visiting."

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