'Daily Recovery, Snow Removal, Cold Wave, Safety, and Livelihood' Seoul City to Implement 'Comprehensive Winter Measures' Until March Next Year

Daily Recovery, Snow Removal, Cold Wave, Safety, and Livelihood: Operation of Home Treatment Support Center, Additional Vaccinations and Encouragement for Unvaccinated
Activation of Snow Removal Disaster Safety Headquarters...Protection of Vulnerable Groups to Cold Waves Including Low-Income Households, Homeless, and Ssokbang Residents

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will implement the "2021 Winter Comprehensive Measures" for four months from the 15th of this month to March 15th next year. As the phased recovery of daily life begins, the plan focuses on preventing a rapid spread of infections while emphasizing a safe and warm winter through cold wave and safety measures during the winter season.

Seoul announced that it has selected 23 key tasks across five major areas: phased daily life recovery promotion, emergency snow removal during heavy snowfall, cold wave phenomena with sudden temperature drops, fire prevention, and safety and livelihood measures.

First, Seoul will establish a joint response system between the city and districts for stable home treatment patient management and expand home treatment for asymptomatic and mild confirmed cases under 70 years old without hospitalization factors. In particular, to prepare for a rapid increase in confirmed cases, the city has secured 2,160 beds in 22 infectious disease-dedicated hospitals and 5,694 beds in 35 residential treatment centers, and plans to secure additional beds through administrative orders depending on the trend of confirmed cases.

The city will also strengthen a citizen-centered testing support system linked to phased daily life recovery. Rapid testing mobile teams (about 15 teams) will be deployed at visiting screening clinics, and rapid testing sites will be installed and operated within 24 hours in order of urgency by groups and locations requiring preemptive testing. Additionally, temporary screening clinics (55 locations) will continue to operate to meet increased testing demand.

The target for additional vaccinations will also be expanded. By November, priority vaccinations will be conducted for immunocompromised individuals, seniors aged 60 and above, medical institution workers at hospital level or higher (including COVID-19 treatment hospitals), and vulnerable infection facilities. From December, detailed vaccination plans for the general public, including essential social workers, will be prepared to encourage additional vaccinations.

Furthermore, to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, procedures will be simplified to allow on-site vaccination after telephone confirmation with medical institutions without prior reservation, and vaccination convenience such as mobility support for disabled persons and foreigners will be provided through cooperation with community service centers. To prevent a rapid spread of infections due to daily life recovery, on-site inspections of infection-vulnerable facilities during winter will be continuously conducted, and facilities not complying with quarantine guidelines will face closure orders and fines.

To prepare for sudden heavy snowfall, a Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will operate 24 hours a day, strengthening snow removal response capabilities through an active response system including a snow removal responsibility system for vulnerable areas, expansion of unmanned snow removal systems, and additional snow removal equipment installation. A phased response system will be established according to cold wave situations to minimize damage and build a rapid recovery system. Preparations will be made to prevent and recover from water pipe freezing and bursts, and emergency water supply will be provided if water supply is cut off due to pipe damage.

Efforts will also be made to protect vulnerable cold wave groups such as elderly people in need, homeless individuals, residents of small rooms, low-income households, and disabled persons. The support target for winter measures for low-income households will be expanded from 182,960 households last year to 220,000 households this year. Additionally, kimchi-making and heating costs will be supported for disabled residents in 41 facilities, and from this month to March next year, inspections will be conducted on ‘emergency safety alert devices’ installed inside homes for about 1,400 severely disabled households.

Moreover, Seoul will promote focused fire safety management for vulnerable facilities and strengthen fire safety management for unmanned stores, which are on the rise, to minimize fire damage and casualties among citizens. To manage fire safety in fire-vulnerable facilities, fire safety management will be strengthened at COVID-19-related facilities such as infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, and fire safety consulting will be conducted through on-site visits at least once a month to traditional markets and nursing hospitals.

As a preemptive management measure to reduce fine dust, Seoul will also restrict the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles throughout the city. A fine of 100,000 KRW (once per day) will be imposed on Grade 5 emission vehicles without low-emission devices when caught. The restriction period is from December this year to March next year, on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. However, considering the economic difficulties of low-income groups and small business owners due to COVID-19, vehicles owned by small business owners without emission reduction devices are exempt from the operation restriction.

Kim Eui-seung, Director of Planning and Coordination at Seoul City, said, “We will do our utmost to ensure the winter comprehensive measures protect the safety and health of ten million citizens from COVID-19 and winter cold waves.” He added, “We ask citizens to follow infection prevention rules such as wearing masks and washing hands well so that daily life recovery can be safely established, and we hope they show warm interest in neighbors who are struggling with living conditions.”

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