Seocho-gu Tightens COVID-19 Third Wave Quarantine Measures

Rapid and Thorough Quarantine with Major Expansion of 'Rapid Response TF Team'... Installation of Korea's First Cutting-Edge 'Untact Screening Clinic' Testing up to 1,000 People per Day

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Jo) is tightening quarantine measures to prevent further spread in the community by significantly expanding quarantine personnel as the third wave of COVID-19 continues to spread in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Seocho is home to densely populated multi-use facilities such as Central City, Express Bus Terminal, Gangnam Station, and Shinsegae Gangnam Branch, and has a higher floating population than any other district in Seoul.

Due to these regional characteristics, the district must be vigilant not only about residents but also about the movement of people passing through from other areas.

In August, the district established and has been operating a specialized 20-team organization called the 'COVID-19 Rapid Response TF Team' to conduct swift epidemiological investigations for the large number of confirmed cases amid the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

Recently, in response to the third wave of COVID-19, the district has expanded the TF team by an additional 70% of its members to focus all efforts on faster and more thorough quarantine measures to block further spread in the community.

Additionally, to prepare for a winter COVID-19 surge, in September the district built Korea’s first contactless screening clinic, equipped with a state-of-the-art system capable of conducting over 1,000 COVID-19 tests per day.

From the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, the district has minimized residents’ anxiety and prevented community spread through proactive policies such as ▲rapid and accurate disclosure of confirmed patients’ movement routes ▲nationwide first full testing of overseas entrants ▲nationwide first introduction of fever-checking AI robots ▲nationwide first support funds for multi-use facility closures ▲Seoul’s first adoption of pooled testing methods, gaining significant attention and spreading beyond Seoul to other local governments nationwide.

Seocho-gu’s efforts in COVID-19 prevention have even been widely recognized abroad. In fact, last April, Paris 15th arrondissement and Sisli district in Turkey, sister cities of Seocho-gu, learned COVID-19 response know-how through video calls.

Recently, media outlets from several countries, including the US ABC network, France’s leading daily Le Monde and national radio, and Denmark’s daily Jyllands-Posten, visited Seocho to investigate the secrets behind its quarantine administration.

A district official stated, “Because simultaneous cluster infections occur in various everyday spaces, thorough personal social distancing is more crucial than ever. We ask everyone to strictly follow personal quarantine rules and actively participate in social distancing.” He added, “The district is making every effort to prevent further community spread through faster and more flawless quarantine by expanding quarantine personnel.”

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