Mokpo City, Concerns Over COVID-19 Spread During Lunar New Year... 'Resolute Commitment to Ironclad Quarantine'

Intensive Inspection of Multi-use Facilities and Quarantine-Vulnerable Facilities

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seung-hyun Jeong] Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do announced on the 24th that it will conduct intensive inspections of multi-use facilities and quarantine-vulnerable facilities in preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

This holiday will last for five days starting on the 29th, raising concerns about the spread of COVID-19 due to increased movement of returning residents and tourists. The city plans to focus on strict quarantine measures.

In addition, the city will conduct intensive quarantine inspections of multi-use facilities and quarantine-vulnerable facilities during the holiday period, including entertainment venues, restaurants and cafes, indoor sports facilities, large marts, traditional markets, meat processing facilities, public transportation facilities, workplaces employing foreigners, tourist sites, ancestral grave and memorial facilities, and welfare facilities.

To this end, each department will establish a quarantine inspection plan and provide quarantine guidelines to each facility in advance. Measures will be taken to prevent crowding at each facility by implementing dispersal strategies, and disinfection will be carried out before and after the holiday along with proactive testing of employees and workers.

During the holiday period, the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and public health centers will operate without holidays.

The city is also working to expand beds at infectious disease-dedicated hospitals for COVID-19 response. As of the 21st, the city has secured 41 rooms with 160 beds, currently operating at a 64% occupancy rate (103 beds), leaving 57 beds available. The city is in consultation with Jeollanam-do to add 3 rooms and 20 beds, aiming to secure a total of 44 rooms and 180 beds.

Furthermore, since a significant number of confirmed cases are visitors from other regions or contacts of confirmed cases from other regions, the city plans to fully commit to the ‘Pause for a Moment’ campaign next week, urging people to refrain from returning home or traveling.

The city has been conducting weekly PCR tests since the 10th for facility workers who have completed their 2nd or 3rd COVID-19 vaccinations to prevent infection. This applies to child welfare facilities (12 locations, 172 people), women’s welfare facilities (5 locations, 78 people), youth facilities (2 locations, 16 people), local children’s centers (40 locations, 85 people), and childcare facilities (175 locations, 1,893 people). On the 12th, 9,688 self-diagnosis kits were distributed to 175 daycare centers.

On the 24th, 1,000 kits will be distributed to 12 child welfare facilities and 325 kits to 5 women’s welfare facilities.

A city official emphasized, “We earnestly ask that you postpone visiting your hometown during this Lunar New Year holiday and also request your family members to refrain from visiting Mokpo. If you must visit other regions, please get a PCR test in advance and confirm a negative result before visiting.”

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