Seong-su Park, Mayor of Songpa-gu, Enhances Convenience for COVID-19 Test Waiters Amid Cold Wave Preparation

Songpa District Office Flowerbed Maintenance Windbreak Tent and Heater Installed... Resident Convenience UP! Quarantine Management UP!... Side Road Next to Hanmi Pharm Main Building Widened by 1m to Enable Two-Way Traffic

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) has taken measures to alleviate residents' inconveniences by adding windbreak tents and heating devices at COVID-19 screening clinics and temporary screening centers it operates.

Mayor Park Seong-su stated on the 27th, "We will thoroughly manage quarantine measures by protecting residents' health and safety during severe cold waves and heavy snow, while also expanding testing capacity."

Currently, the district operates a total of two temporary screening centers for COVID-19 testing, including the Songpa-gu Public Health Center screening clinic, the Olympic Park Peace Gate Plaza, and the Munjeong Urban Development Zone Plaza area.

Due to the recent resurgence of COVID-19, the number of tests conducted in Songpa-gu reaches an average of 6,000 per day. With long queues forming daily and the addition of winter cold waves, inconveniences for residents such as children and the elderly were anticipated, prompting the district to prepare emergency measures.

First, the district extensively renovated the flower beds at the district office to secure waiting areas for residents who experienced inconvenience standing in lines stretching from the Songpa-gu Public Health Center screening clinic to the nearby underground passage. Eleven windbreak tents measuring 5m by 5m were installed in the flower beds, which previously housed trees and sculptures. Additionally, five portable heaters were installed. However, to maintain social distancing, barriers were set up inside the tents, and some side panels were opened as windows to prevent the space from becoming sealed.

Two additional tents and heating devices were installed at the Olympic Park Peace Gate Plaza temporary screening center. This expansion allows approximately 100 more people to wait in the area, which previously accommodated 50.

At the Munjeong Urban Development Zone Plaza temporary screening center, a 50m corridor-type tent was installed to alleviate inconvenience.

Furthermore, the district plans to thoroughly manage pedestrian traffic to minimize overlap between those seeking tests at the screening clinics and temporary centers and passersby.

Mayor Park Seong-su of Songpa-gu said, "We will alleviate the inconvenience of residents waiting long hours in cold weather for testing and do our best in quarantine management. We will continue to prioritize residents' health and safety and take thorough and swift preemptive actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

Last summer, Songpa-gu addressed inconveniences caused by increased testing and heatwaves by providing umbrella rentals, shade tents, and large cooling devices, as well as installing cooling fans for staff in specimen collection booths. Additionally, the district offers proactive administrative services such as rapid test result delivery and developed and operates the 'BYE Covid-19' app, the first nationwide local government app providing one-stop services for test result inquiries and infected person management.

The side road next to the Hanmi Pharm main building

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) will improve traffic conditions by widening the side road next to the Hanmi Pharmaceutical headquarters entrance in Bangi-dong by about 1 meter through public-private cooperation with Hanmi Pharmaceutical.

The side road next to Hanmi Pharmaceutical headquarters (45 Bangi-dong) is a road that allows entry from Wiryesung-daero to Bangi-dong and Bangi Matgol and usually experiences heavy traffic. However, the road is narrow, making two-way traffic impossible, causing ongoing inconvenience for users.

Accordingly, during the construction planning of Hanmi Pharmaceutical's annex, the district expanded the road by about 1 meter on Hanmi Pharmaceutical's land to enable two-way traffic.

Mayor Park Seong-su said, "If the district were to open the road, land compensation costs would be approximately 1.37 billion KRW, but thanks to Hanmi Pharmaceutical's generous decision, we were able to save the budget and provide traffic convenience to residents."

In connection with this road widening project, the district expects it will also help secure a bus circulation route for small and medium-sized tourist buses within the Jamsil Tourism Special Zone.

Additionally, Hanmi Pharmaceutical will create a photo exhibition hall open to residents free of charge as part of the annex construction project. This is expected to generate various synergies by strengthening commercial and business functions in the Bangi-dong area and expanding cultural and leisure spaces. The annex is scheduled for completion in September 2023.

Mayor Park Seong-su said, "The Hanmi Pharmaceutical annex construction project is expected to positively impact the development of the local commercial district in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, as well as the cultural and artistic fields. We will actively cooperate with Hanmi Pharmaceutical to ensure that local residents and businesses enjoy many benefits and do our best to provide administrative support such as road widening."

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