Daycare Staff to Receive AZ Vaccine Starting from the 8th of Next Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] To strengthen quarantine management in daycare centers, COVID-19 vaccinations for 300,000 childcare workers nationwide will begin next month. Additionally, childcare workers must undergo PCR testing once a month.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' quarantine team, announced at a regular briefing on the morning of the 31st, "From April, childcare workers and health teachers caring for children with disabilities will receive vaccinations, and from June, all other childcare workers will be vaccinated," revealing the "Daycare Center Quarantine Management Strengthening Plan" containing these details.

Accordingly, starting from the 8th of next month, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations will begin for 15,000 childcare workers and health teachers at specialized and integrated daycare centers for children with disabilities. The remaining 284,000 childcare workers will also receive the AstraZeneca vaccine starting in June.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters plans to allow childcare workers who experience adverse reactions after vaccination to use paid leave or sick leave. To minimize childcare gaps, emergency childcare operations, teacher placement, and substitute personnel support will be implemented based on prior childcare demand surveys.

Furthermore, a monthly PCR test will be conducted for all daycare center childcare workers. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters intends to minimize childcare disruptions by coordinating with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and local governments to adjust testing times and conduct on-site testing.

Previously, on-site inspections were conducted only in the metropolitan area, but now 500 additional daycare centers, including those outside the metropolitan area, will be added to the inspection list. If a confirmed case occurs at a daycare center, closure and temporary shutdown measures will be implemented, and monitoring of infection status will continue.

Yoon Tae-ho, Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' Quarantine General Division [Photo by Yonhap News]

Quarantine measures for private academies and tutoring centers will also be strengthened. A "Self-Quarantine Team for Academies," organized by the private sector, will conduct quarantine inspections based on voluntary participation, and management will be reinforced to ensure strict compliance with basic quarantine rules, including mandatory designation and operation of quarantine managers within academies, which have been in effect since the 29th.

In particular, workers will be required to perform self-health checks at least twice a day, and instructors at academies in the metropolitan area will be encouraged to undergo regular testing.

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