Gangdong-gu COVID-19 Prevention Cloth Mask Making Wins Minister of Personnel Management Award

Recognized as a Model Case of Public-Private Cooperation in COVID-19 Response and Overcoming

Last March, Lee Jeong-hoon, the mayor of Gangdong-gu, was making 1,000 cloth masks to prevent COVID-19 together with members of the Saemaeul Women's Association in the large auditorium on the 5th floor of the Gangdong-gu Office.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced that its case of ‘Making Healthy Cloth Masks to Prevent COVID-19’ was selected in the 2020 Local Government Public Officials Talent Sharing and Volunteer Service Best Practices Contest hosted by the Ministry of Personnel Management, winning the Minister of Personnel Management Award.

This contest was organized to discover and award outstanding cases of talent sharing and volunteer activities to establish a culture of service within the public sector and promote the spread of social values.

The evaluation criteria for outstanding cases included ▲continuity of volunteer activities, scale of participation and target groups, frequency of activities ▲whether distinctive volunteer activities that could be disseminated and expanded within the public sector were conducted ▲cooperation and participation rate of the organization, and excellence of the program.

In particular, the project ‘Production and Support of Healthy Cloth Masks to Prevent COVID-19,’ carried out together with the Gangdong-gu Saemaeul Women’s Association and volunteers, was recognized as a model case of public-private cooperation overcoming the national disaster situation caused by COVID-19, earning the honor of the award.

Earlier this year, when mask shortages caused social anxiety, Gangdong-gu produced over 5,000 filter-replaceable cloth masks for COVID-19 prevention with Saemaeul Women’s Association members and about 50 volunteers, delivering them to health-vulnerable groups in urgent need of masks such as daycare centers and social welfare facilities.

Moreover, as this case became known as one solution amid the mask crisis, it sparked a nationwide trend of cloth mask production.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “This award is especially meaningful as it is the result of joint efforts by the public and private sectors to overcome COVID-19,” and added, “We will continue to practice sharing and volunteering with residents to create a happier Gangdong together.”

March 12 last year, 'Handmade Long-lasting Cloth Masks' Delivery Ceremony at the Daycare Center

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