Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Expands Proactive Testing for Foreign Residents in Medical Blind Spots

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, has decided to expand proactive COVID-19 testing for foreign residents.

On the 21st, according to Gwangsan-gu, Kim Sam-ho, the head of Gwangsan-gu, held a meeting with 11 representatives of foreign residents the day before to address the low participation rate of foreign residents in proactive COVID-19 testing.

The representatives of foreign residents cited reluctance among migrant workers and employers to get tested as the reason for the low participation rate. Many expressed concerns about economic disadvantages due to self-quarantine and confirmed cases.

Gwangsan-gu compiled the opinions from the meeting and prepared urgent measures to expand proactive testing for foreign residents.

The main measures include ▲strict protection of testers' identities ▲support for living expenses for those in self-quarantine or confirmed cases ▲support for paid leave costs for hospitalized or quarantined individuals (up to 130,000 KRW per day) ▲support for accommodation and meal expenses for those in self-quarantine.

To facilitate testing, temporary screening clinics will operate at Hanam Industrial Complex on the 21st, Pyeongdong Industrial Complex on the 22nd, and Korean-Russian Village from the 23rd to 24th.

In particular, on Sunday the 24th, a temporary screening clinic will be set up at the Hana Bank Gwangsan Branch in Usan-dong, a location frequently visited by foreign residents for remittances and other services.

Additionally, foreign residents can use the screening clinics at Gwangju City Hall and Gwangsan-gu Office daily.

A Gwangsan-gu official stated, “To increase the participation rate of foreign residents in testing, we plan to propose countermeasures to central government agencies such as the Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters. We hope all foreign residents, who are in medical blind spots, get tested and continue their daily lives in health and safety.”

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