'Surge in COVID-19 Cases on the East Coast'... Gangwon Province Tightens COVID-19 'Quarantine Measures' Until August

East Coast COVID-19 Cases Account for 53.6% of Gangwon Total... Half Are in Their 10s and 20s
Gangneung City Raises Social Distancing to Level 4 Until the 25th

Archive photo [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Youngcheol] Gangwon Province has decided to tighten quarantine measures even more until the end of August, when 50% of the residents are expected to complete their COVID-19 vaccinations, as confirmed cases rapidly increase among young people along the East Coast.

According to Gangwon Province on the 20th, diagnostic testing will be strengthened in places where the spread of COVID-19 is likely during the vacation and holiday periods and where quarantine gaps are a concern.

From this day until August 31, workers at academies, private tutoring centers, and private tutors who have frequent contact with students during the holidays must undergo periodic diagnostic testing once every two weeks.

An administrative order for diagnostic testing has also been issued for one member of households living with workers at entertainment facilities until the 31st of this month.

In particular, to prevent the spread of infection among young people, from 7 PM to 8 PM, when there is a large floating population, the 'Mobile COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing Bus' will be expanded and operated mainly in crowded multi-use facilities in the Gangneung area until the 26th, with up to 1,500 people tested daily.

The scope of epidemiological investigations will also be expanded to block the spread of highly transmissible variant viruses and to accurately identify contacts.

Under current guidelines, epidemiological investigations are conducted on contacts from two days before symptom onset; this period will be extended to five days before symptom onset, and the contact range will be widened to block the spread of variant viruses through rapid self-isolation.

Joint special inspections will be conducted targeting COVID-19 vulnerable facilities, including beaches. About 1,100 inspection personnel from the province, cities/counties, and police will be deployed to high-risk facilities frequently used by vacationers during the holiday season to check compliance with quarantine rules.

Additionally, the province will implement a regional responsibility system with heads of departments and bureaus managing quarantine response situations in cities and counties to identify on-site issues and prepare institutional improvements and rapid support measures.

Meanwhile, since July, confirmed COVID-19 cases on the East Coast accounted for 53.6% of the total cases in the province. By age group, those in their teens and twenties make up nearly half at 45.8%, and 62% of all confirmed cases are male.

The bed occupancy rate in Gangwon Province is 68.8%, and additional beds are needed due to the increase in confirmed cases in the Yeongdong region.

Earlier, Gangneung City abruptly raised social distancing to Level 4 until the 25th. The province decided to uniformly limit private gatherings to four people even in areas under Level 2 social distancing until the 1st of next month.

A Gangwon Province infectious disease policy official stated, "Young people in their 20s and 30s are asked to refrain from activities a little and actively undergo diagnostic testing. We ask all residents to cooperate once again with quarantine efforts until the end of August, when 50% of residents will have completed vaccination."

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