First Day of Mobile PCR Testing in Seoul: "Testing at School Saves Time, We Like It"

Visited Seoul Sports Middle and High School for Pilot Operation of Mobile Specimen Preemptive Testing
Two Simple Testing Stations Installed on Campus... "Half of the Students Applied for Testing"
"Many Students Applied Ahead of the Competition, Hope Others Also Get Tested"
Yoo Eun-hye: "Based on Pilot Results, Will Expand Nationwide Starting with Hopeful Areas"

On the 3rd, a student is undergoing a test at a mobile COVID-19 PCR testing site installed at Seoul Sports Middle and High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The Ministry of Education, in consultation with health authorities, has formed teams for each of the 11 education support offices in Seoul to conduct tests starting from the 3rd, targeting staff and students who wish to be tested while touring schools across Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] "Before the Youth Sports Festival, many of my friends want to get tested. When we went to get tested, we had to wait, but since the school is doing it, it saves time and finishes quickly, so I like it. I hope many other friends get tested too." (Kim Mugung, 3rd year student at Seoul Physical Education Middle School)

"There are many student athletes, so we always felt anxious. We applied to have tests done in advance before the competition to avoid causing any problems. About half of the students live in dormitories, and most of them decided to get tested." (Kim Nakyoung, Principal of Seoul Physical Education Middle and High School)

The 'Mobile Specimen Collection Team Proactive Testing' visiting schools has started in Seoul. At the first school where testing was conducted, about half of the enrolled students got tested. Based on the pilot operation results at 10 schools by next week, plans are underway to expand nationwide.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, on the first day of the pilot operation of the COVID-19 mobile specimen collection team, dozens of students lined up with spacing at Seoul Physical Education Middle and High School in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. At the temporary testing site set up behind the school building, the mobile specimen collection team wearing protective suits greeted the students. After disinfecting their hands, students put on disposable plastic gloves, submitted documents with their personal information to the entrusted testing agency staff, and then moved to the temporary testing site to receive COVID-19 PCR tests.

Jo Junyoung, Head of the Health Team at the Department of Physical Education, Health, Culture, and Arts of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, explained, "Today, 350 people were tested, and about half of the total school population applied. Other schools are expected to have similar levels. If a positive result is confirmed, notification will be immediate, and management will follow the procedures of the health authorities. If negative, test results will be notified by text between 8 and 9 a.m. the next day."

On the 3rd, a student is undergoing a test at a mobile COVID-19 PCR testing site installed at Seoul Sports Middle and High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The Ministry of Education, in consultation with health authorities, has formed teams for each of the 11 education support offices in Seoul to conduct tests for willing staff and students by visiting schools across the city starting from the 3rd. Photo by Joint Press Corps

On that day, at Seoul Physical Education Middle and High School, a total of 10 people, including clinical pathologists and nurses, formed two specimen collection teams and conducted tests for students and staff at the temporary testing site. The collected specimens are sent to the entrusted testing agency, and the tested individuals receive their results via text message the following day. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to deploy specimen collection teams by recruiting volunteers such as health supervisors with relevant certifications and retired health teachers.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will sequentially deploy mobile specimen collection teams to 10 schools over two weeks, including Seoul Physical Education Middle and High School and Gwanghui Middle School in Seongdong-gu, where proactive testing started that day. Additional applications will be accepted once formal operations begin. The target schools include those within a 1 km radius of schools where confirmed cases have occurred, schools requiring proactive testing, or schools that wish to participate. Besides regular teachers, after-school instructors, sports instructors, and cooperative instructors can also get tested.

The Ministry of Education plans to expand the mobile specimen collection team proactive testing to other regions such as Ulsan and Incheon beyond Seoul. At a meeting held at the school that day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eunhye said, "The purpose of mobile PCR testing is to proactively identify asymptomatic confirmed cases within schools and further actively conduct diagnostic tests for external instructors and academy workers." She added, "Based on the pilot operation results, we will consult with health authorities on necessary matters and expand nationwide starting from regions that wish to participate."

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