"Really So Hard" Endless COVID Testing Lines Stretching in Freezing Subzero Cold

After the Start of 'Phased Return to Normalcy,' Daily Confirmed Cases Surge
Citizens Waited 3-4 Hours in Severe Cold at Testing Sites Last Weekend
Worse, KCDC System Errors Prolonged Waiting Times
Health Authorities "Will Expand Testing Facilities"

On the 19th, citizens waiting to get tested at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Recently, the daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has surged to 6,000 to 7,000, causing a sharp increase in diagnostic tests. Citizens flock to screening clinics, resulting in situations where they have to wait in line outdoors for 3 to 4 hours. Especially last weekend, when the temperature in the Seoul metropolitan area dropped to minus 11 degrees Celsius with snowfall, citizens expressed discomfort, saying it was "difficult to get tested."

Since early November, after the implementation of 'Step-by-step Recovery of Daily Life' (With Corona), the spread of COVID-19 has accelerated, with daily confirmed cases consistently in the 6,000 to 7,000 range, and the number of critically ill patients and deaths reaching record highs. Consequently, the government announced on the 15th the suspension of With Corona and declared it would strengthen quarantine measures again. However, despite these government measures, as of 9 a.m. on the 20th, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases was 5,318, indicating that the effects of With Corona are expected to continue for some time.

As the spread of COVID-19 continued, citizens flocked to screening clinics to get tested. During last week (December 13?19), the number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests was about 4.1 million, more than double compared to October 25?31 (about 1.9 million), before the start of With Corona. At the beginning of With Corona, the government confidently stated that it could manage even 5,000 confirmed cases per day and anticipated a sufficient increase in testing and confirmed cases, but the scale of screening clinics did not significantly increase. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there are about 800 screening clinics nationwide, including public health centers and hospital screening clinics (about 630) and temporary screening clinics (about 180), a slight increase compared to early this year (791 clinics).

Moreover, the government's mandatory implementation of the 'Quarantine Pass' (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system) as part of strengthened quarantine measures also contributed to the crowding at screening clinics. Unvaccinated individuals must submit a PCR negative confirmation obtained within 48 hours to hold private gatherings in multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes.

On the 20th, medical staff are testing citizens at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As citizens flocked to screening clinics nationwide to get COVID-19 tests, the 'Electronic Questionnaire' for COVID-19 screening tests managed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency experienced access failures, increasing citizen inconvenience. On the morning of the 18th, some screening clinics encountered system issues, causing the electronic questionnaire to be inoperative for about an hour, disrupting testing. With many citizens already waiting long hours to get tested, the system error further extended the waiting time in the cold weather.

Given this situation, more citizens are voicing complaints. A 20-year-old part-time worker, Mr. A, who received a text message from authorities last week instructing him to get a COVID-19 test, said, "A coworker at the same workplace tested positive for COVID-19, so I had no choice but to get tested. But when I went to the screening clinic, the line was like an amusement park. Even though I left early in the morning because I heard it would be crowded, there were so many people that I had to wait for several hours."

Mr. A added, "Even if the worsening COVID-19 situation makes waiting inevitable, it was tough to wait for a long time in the severe cold to get tested," sighing.

On the afternoon of the 19th, citizens lined up for testing at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up in the second parking lot of Jamsil Sports Complex, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Many posts on various social networking services (SNS) and internet communities expressed discomfort over the long waiting times at screening clinics last weekend. One netizen, Mr. B, said, "Screening clinics are for people who have had close contact with infected individuals, but since many people gather in one place, social distancing is difficult. We had no choice but to be packed tightly. I'm worried we might get infected here."

Another netizen, Mr. C, pointed out the need to prepare measures to reduce citizen inconvenience, such as expanding screening clinics. Mr. C said, "As an unvaccinated person, I have to get a PCR test every time I have plans to go out. I understand the quarantine guidelines, but the testing time is too long and inconvenient. Since the Quarantine Pass has become mandatory, the number of screening clinics should be increased, or it should be made easier to check the waiting numbers at screening clinics."

As complaints grew, the quarantine authorities announced plans to expand testing facilities to resolve the long waiting times at screening clinics. Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), said in opening remarks on the 20th, "To alleviate public inconvenience and prevent spread through rapid testing, we will newly establish a total of 34 temporary screening clinics nationwide," and added, "For 67 locations, we will expand testing facilities to enhance testing capacity."

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