Gimhae City Reports All 997 Foreigners Test Negative in Preliminary COVID-19 Sample Screening

Extension of Testing Period Until the 16th, Illegal Immigrants Also Tested Without Disadvantages

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 15th that all 997 foreign workers and residents tested in a sample test for COVID-19 conducted from the 6th to the 12th were confirmed negative.

The test was conducted on foreigners and Koreans working at 170 companies employing more than 10 foreign workers. Unlike before, city hall employees visited companies to encourage testing, resulting in a greater number of foreigners getting tested.

Additionally, through active promotion via local communities and the Multicultural Family Center, foreign residents in the area were also able to receive free testing.

The city extended the testing period until the 16th to encourage more foreigners to get tested and is actively promoting that undocumented foreigners (unregistered migrants) can receive diagnostic tests at health centers without any disadvantage to their status.

Mayor Heo Seong-gon stated, “Recently, nationwide foreign group infections and variant viruses have been confirmed, and since many foreigners reside in our city, we are preventing infections and reducing citizens' anxiety through proactive diagnostic testing. Although social distancing has been extended for two weeks from the 15th and it will be difficult, citizens must strictly follow the changed quarantine rules themselves to prevent the fourth large wave. Let’s endure a little longer until herd immunity is formed through vaccination.”

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