Incheon Detention Center Inmate and Staff Testing... Incheon City Strengthens Quarantine in Communal Living Facilities

Mandatory Face Shields and Gloves for Medical Staff and Caregivers in Long-term Care Hospitals
Expansion of 'Mobile Quarantine Testing' for Social Welfare and Saeteomin Facilities

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is visiting Incheon Detention Center on the 31st to discuss measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 with correctional officials. 2020.12.31 [Photo by Ministry of Justice]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City is strengthening quarantine measures for facilities vulnerable to COVID-19 cluster infections, such as detention centers, nursing facilities, and communal living facilities.

The city will conduct COVID-19 mass testing over two days, on the 5th and 6th, targeting approximately 2,400 people including inmates and staff at Incheon Detention Center.

This follows the recent outbreak at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, where confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1,000. Concerns over cluster infection spread due to communal living at Incheon Detention Center have prompted this preemptive response.

The city's quarantine authorities have mobilized a testing team of 12 members divided into 6 groups, conducting pooled testing by collecting specimens from 2 to 5 individuals per test subject.

The city also plans to strengthen quarantine measures for high-risk facilities such as nursing hospitals and nursing homes. At a nursing hospital in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, where the first confirmed case was reported on the 2nd, a total of 55 COVID-19 cluster infections had occurred by the morning of the 5th.

Accordingly, as cluster infections have become a reality, the city has implemented enhanced quarantine measures to prevent further spread in related facilities.

First, specimen testing will be conducted for all workers and residents at nursing facilities located in busy commercial areas and complex shopping centers.

Additionally, for the first time among cities and provinces nationwide, the city has issued guidelines requiring medical staff and caregivers at nursing hospitals to wear not only masks but also face shields, gloves, and surgical gowns.

Furthermore, testing will be expanded in the form of 'mobile visiting quarantine inspections' to communal living facilities such as social welfare facilities and facilities housing North Korean defectors.

Mobile screening clinics for medical and quarantine blind spots, such as densely populated foreign resident areas, will continue to operate this year as they did last year.

Mayor Park Namchun stated, "The third wave of COVID-19 is rapidly spreading mainly in facilities with vulnerable environments. The cluster infections at nursing facilities in Incheon are a representative case. We will make every effort to proactively identify vulnerable facilities and conduct thorough testing to break the chain of infection spread."

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