Seocho-gu Rapidly Expands Screening Centers Amid Fast Spread of COVID-19

Additional Installations at Gangnam Station and Sadang Station... Operating the Most in Seoul with 4 Locations

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seocho-gu (District Mayor Jo Eun-hee) announced on the 8th that it has taken proactive measures at the district level, including strengthening testing capacity by installing two additional screening clinics in the area in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

The district decided that voluntary diagnostic testing and strengthened quarantine measures are more important than anything else, as the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide has exceeded 1,000 and the proportion of confirmed cases is increasing mainly among young people with low vaccination rates, and took swift action.

In particular, Seocho-gu has a heightened sense of vigilance and responsibility for quarantine because it has more multi-use facilities and floating populations than any other district in Seoul, including Central City, Express Bus Terminal, Gangnam Station, and Shinsegae Gangnam Branch.

◇ Proactive Expansion of COVID-19 Testing Capacity

First, to expand COVID-19 testing, the district will add and operate two temporary screening clinics at Gangnam Station and Sadang Station starting July 12, in addition to the existing screening clinics (Public Health Center and two locations at Express Bus Terminal Station). This will make it the district with the most screening clinics operated among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

As a result, the daily testing capacity will increase from the existing 2,400 to about 3,600. To this end, a total of 32 additional testing personnel, including medical staff and administrative personnel, will be recruited to ensure smooth operation of the screening clinics.

The operating hours of Seocho-gu’s screening clinics have also been extended so that office workers can easily get tested after work. The operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. The district has also requested Seoul City to extend operating hours.

Additionally, to keep pace with the surge in confirmed cases, 13 additional epidemiological investigators have been deployed to quickly identify confirmed patients’ movements and close contacts.

◇ Strengthened Special Quarantine in Facilities and Areas Concentrated with People in Their 20s and 30s

The district is also actively working to prevent the spread among young people by strengthening special quarantine measures in facilities and areas where people in their 20s and 30s, who have low vaccination rates, are concentrated.

Special quarantine inspections will also be conducted on high-risk multi-use facilities such as academies, restaurants, cafes, karaoke rooms, and PC rooms.

In local streams such as Yangjaecheon and Yeouicheon, the night patrol team has been increased from 4 to 6 members per day, and working hours extended until 11 p.m., strengthening operations and actively educating against nighttime drinking behaviors.

Organic cooperation among the public, private, and police sectors will continue. For high-risk businesses such as entertainment establishments and karaoke rooms, ‘public-private-police joint night inspections’ will be conducted in cooperation with Seocho and Bangbae Police Stations. The existing ‘quarantine mobile enforcement team,’ a collaboration between the district and police stations, will also continue to operate.

◇ Strengthening Public Sector Duty and Creating a Social Atmosphere to Minimize Movement

Furthermore, to implement the best preventive measures, the district office and public facility employees in the area have started telecommuting and staggered working hours to work non-face-to-face and contactless. The district is also creating a social atmosphere by sending text messages and SNS notifications to residents about quarantine measures.

Meanwhile, since the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, the district has implemented proactive policies ahead of others, including ▲rapid and transparent disclosure of confirmed patients’ movements ▲nationwide first full testing of overseas entrants ▲nationwide first introduction of AI fever-checking robots ▲nationwide first support funds for multi-use facility closures ▲Seoul’s first pooled testing method introduction ▲nationwide first introduction of cutting-edge untact screening clinics.

Seocho District Mayor Jo Eun-hee stated, “As this is a critical crisis situation with over 1,000 confirmed cases, the district is making every effort to quickly strengthen testing capacity and expand quarantine personnel to prevent further spread in the community. We will do our best to quickly control the spread so that residents can return to their normal daily lives.”

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