'Seoul City and 25 Autonomous Districts' Emergency COVID-19 Meeting... Oh Se-hoon "Mobilize All Available Means"'

Daily COVID-19 Cases in Seoul Reach 550, Third Highest Ever
Seoul City Issues 'Proactive Testing Administrative Order' for Academies, PC Rooms, Karaoke Bars... Temporary Screening Clinics Doubled
District Mayors' Council Calls for Increased Manpower to Address Seoul's Epidemiological Investigation Issues

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] In response to the surge in new COVID-19 cases, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to swiftly implement preemptive testing administrative orders targeting academies and PC rooms in cooperation with 25 autonomous districts, as well as to add temporary screening clinics and secure additional beds in infectious disease-dedicated hospitals.

On the morning of the 8th, Mayor Oh Se-hoon held an "Emergency Issue Meeting between Seoul City and 25 Autonomous Districts," stating, "Despite the extension of social distancing measures, 550 new confirmed cases were reported yesterday, and the momentum of COVID-19 is not subsiding," emphasizing, "To curb the spread of COVID-19, Seoul City and the autonomous districts must mobilize all possible methods and means," and called for cooperation.

Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu and chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan District Mayors' Council, stressed, "There are issues with Seoul City's epidemiological investigations. We need to increase the number of epidemiological investigators," and added, "To reduce the spread, proactive measures are necessary to identify and monitor confirmed cases and their close contacts."

Seoul City has issued a 'preemptive testing order' for business owners and workers of academies, restaurants, cafes, karaoke rooms, and PC rooms. Since many confirmed cases have recently been reported among young people, the plan is to expand preemptive testing focusing on places frequently visited by the youth to identify hidden confirmed cases.

To expand testing capacity, the current 26 'temporary screening clinics' will be doubled. One additional clinic will be added in each of the 25 autonomous districts, increasing the total from 26 to 51. Additionally, the number of 'mobile screening clinics' will be expanded from the current 4 to 10 or more. Testing will be extended beyond the currently operating clinics at Garak Market, Gangnam Station, Daechi-dong, and Hongdae Entrance to include areas with dense academies in Nowon and Yangcheon, as well as places with high young population flow such as Itaewon, Cheonggye Plaza, and Guro Digital Complex.

Furthermore, more than 2,000 additional beds in residential treatment centers, where confirmed patients can be admitted immediately, will be secured by next week. Currently, Seoul operates 15 residential treatment centers with 2,621 beds, with an occupancy rate of about 71%. Starting with the opening of 177 beds on the 7th, followed by 250 beds on the 9th and 277 beds on the 12th, a total of 704 beds have been confirmed for operation. Seoul plans to secure more than 2,000 additional beds by next week.

Mayor Oh said, "We will closely analyze the trends in dedicated severe cases hospitals and make every effort to ensure that the public healthcare system remains stable regardless of any situation."

Seoul will also secure sufficient beds in infectious disease-dedicated hospitals to maintain the public healthcare system at a manageable level, and to minimize late-night movement, public transportation services after 10 p.m. will be reduced by 20%. Currently, infectious disease-dedicated hospitals operate 2,144 beds across 16 public hospitals, including Seoul Medical Center, and 24 private hospitals.

Regarding the administrative order banning nighttime drinking after 10 p.m. throughout the Han River parks and all 25 major parks, Seoul plans to respond strictly. Mayor Oh stated, "Seoul City and the 25 autonomous districts will do their utmost to extinguish the spark of the fourth wave of COVID-19 so that the patience and cooperation of our citizens will not be in vain."

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