Seoul City, "Will Do Its Best to Secure Hospital Beds... Step 3 Escalation Is the Last Resort" (Comprehensive)

170 Confirmed Cases by 5 PM Today... 55 Temporary Screening Centers Added

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Seoul approaches 400 per day, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is taking measures to secure treatment facilities such as dedicated beds for severe patients and to install additional temporary screening clinics.

Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, said in the opening remarks of the "COVID-19 Emergency Countermeasure Meeting" on the afternoon of the 13th, "As the spread of COVID-19 continues beyond expectations, the need to raise the alert to Level 3 is being raised, but this is the last measure that requires stopping all daily activities."

He added, "Regarding the Level 3 escalation, we will gather opinions from experts in various fields, including the Living Quarantine Committee composed of quarantine experts and associations and organizations by sector, as well as the economic community, and also listen to citizens' opinions to seek the best way to minimize the impact on the livelihood economy."

He said, "When raising to Level 3, additional consideration is needed for effective measures to restrict gatherings and events, which are not easily administratively controlled, and for essential facilities that are not subject to closure," and urged, "Each department and bureau should focus on reviewing this part." He continued, "Above all, there are limits to mandatory quarantine measures," emphasizing, "We all need to be cautious of quarantine fatigue and tighten our vigilance once again."

From midnight to 5 p.m. on the same day, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul was counted at 170. This is comparable to the 172 cases confirmed from midnight to 6 p.m. the previous day, when the daily number of confirmed cases reached a record high of 399.

Acting Mayor Seo explained, "Currently, 64 out of 68 dedicated beds for severe patients in Seoul are in use, leaving 4 beds available for admission. We secured 11 additional severe beds last week and plan to secure 10 more next week."

The occupancy rate of infectious disease dedicated hospital beds in Seoul is 87.5%, with 1,041 out of 1,190 general beds in use. Among the 9 life treatment centers operated by Seoul, 1,180 out of 1,937 beds are in use. Five district life treatment centers operate 569 beds.

Seoul plans to open one more life treatment center next week to add 280 beds and expand 1,008 beds through life treatment centers to be additionally opened in 13 districts.

Seoul currently operates a total of 83 screening clinics, including 34 district screening clinics. Starting from the 14th, 55 additional temporary screening clinics will be operated in densely populated areas such as parks, community centers, stations, and university districts.

Acting Mayor Seo emphasized, "The COVID-19 situation has entered a crisis tunnel unlike anything we have experienced before," and stated, "We are determined to prevent home quarantine treatment at all costs."

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