Mokpo City, Full Effort in Quarantine to Prevent COVID-19 Spread Among Foreigners

Focused Monitoring of Construction Sites, Industrial Complexes, Foreign-Only Restaurants, and Employment Agencies

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seunghyun Jeong] Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do, announced on the 14th through a press release that it is making every effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the number of confirmed foreign cases increases.

According to the city, there have been 34 confirmed cases in Mokpo over the past two weeks. Among them, foreigners account for more than half with 19 cases, overwhelmingly dominated by 17 seafarers.

As foreign confirmed cases are spreading mainly in the metropolitan area and some non-metropolitan areas (such as Gyeongsang Province), the city has proactively responded by issuing an administrative order (until October 17) since July 16, requiring periodic diagnostic testing for both foreign and domestic workers at foreign labor workplaces.

In particular, considering that Mokpo is a port city with frequent fishing vessel arrivals and departures, the city added both foreign and domestic workers engaged in coastal fishing vessels to the diagnostic testing administrative order target (from July 31 to October 17), and since the 8th, has expanded the target to include foreigners working on nearshore fishing vessels.

To increase the vaccination rate among foreigners, temporary numbers are issued to unregistered individuals so that they can receive vaccinations on the day of their visit at vaccination centers, ensuring vaccinations regardless of registration status.

Along with this, the city promptly provides information about administrative orders and vaccination matters through the city’s website and SNS (Facebook, Instagram), and continuously encourages vaccination and diagnostic testing via phone calls and text messages.

To effectively deliver guidance to foreigners, the city promotes information through multicultural family support centers and naturalized citizens of various countries via phone calls and self-help group SNS (country-specific groups).

The city has designated management departments to intensively monitor large construction sites, industrial complexes, foreigner-only restaurants and grocery stores, and employment and manpower agencies where foreigners, besides seafarers, are working.

Additionally, to improve participation rates in diagnostic testing among both foreigners and locals, the city plans to add and operate a temporary screening clinic at Peace Plaza, a crowded area, in addition to the currently operating public health center screening clinics (from October 15 to November 14).

A city official stated, “Although foreigners are appearing as serious infection vectors, there are limitations in bringing unregistered foreigners into the light due to communication difficulties, unspecified residences, closed lifestyles, and the nature of workplaces. We will continue to guide and manage the administrative order for diagnostic testing at foreign workplaces and focus administrative efforts on increasing vaccination rates through on-site vaccinations.”

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