Seoul City Implements Comprehensive Summer Measures for Health, Heatwaves, Flood Control, and Safety... Flood and Disaster Safety Headquarters Operate 24 Hours

Stepwise Return to General Medical System, Preparedness for Re-epidemic Against New Variant Spread
Operation of 3,400 Heat Relief Centers for Vulnerable Groups, Strengthened Protection Activities for Homeless and Ssokbangchon Residents
24-Hour Operation of Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for Wind and Flood Damage... Establishment of Automatic Rainfall Detection and Transmission System

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As Seoul lifts COVID-19 social distancing measures, the city is adjusting its quarantine system to ensure a smooth transition to normal life while thoroughly preparing disaster response measures across various sectors such as heatwaves, flood control, and safety to protect citizens. Seoul is implementing a phased return to a community-based general medical system where local clinics and hospitals provide both diagnostic testing and treatment. The operation of hospital beds is being adjusted to focus on severe cases, while maintaining a quarantine system prepared for potential re-outbreaks due to new variants. Additionally, tailored policies for vulnerable groups during heatwaves are being implemented, including expanded cooling centers, home care services for the elderly, an emergency relief team for homeless people in crowded areas during heatwaves, and a special task force for residents of jjokbangchon (small-room villages).

On the 12th, Seoul announced that from July 15 to October 15, over five months, it will implement the '2022 Summer Comprehensive Measures' covering four key areas: health, heatwaves, flood control, and safety, with 24 focused tasks. Seoul operates a Heatwave Situation Management Task Force (TF) and a Heatwave Comprehensive Support Situation Room to respond step-by-step according to the heatwave crisis alert level. To prepare for wind and flood disasters, the city has established a Wind and Flood Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters led by the Mayor of Seoul and conducts a three-stage emergency duty system based on rainfall conditions.

First, the medical and quarantine systems will be carefully adjusted step-by-step to support the recovery of daily life. The general medical system will be expanded so that local clinics and hospitals can provide both diagnostic testing and treatment. In preparation for the second half of the year’s epidemic, hospital beds will be operated focusing on severe cases, and moderate-severe beds will be adjusted gradually considering confirmed case numbers and bed occupancy rates. Furthermore, intensive promotion and guidance of core quarantine rules will be conducted targeting 170,000 food service establishments such as entertainment venues and restaurants, and public testing capacity will be focused on vulnerable groups to prepare for possible re-outbreaks in the second half of the year due to new variants.

To prevent infectious diseases requiring caution in summer such as food poisoning and bacterial pneumonia, and to ensure food safety, Seoul supports citizens’ healthy summer. The city strengthens hygiene inspections on foods with high summer consumption at school and daycare center cafeterias and food suppliers, and provides customized hygiene consulting for group meal facilities and delivery restaurants. To prevent bacterial pneumonia, 157 sites including large building cooling towers, where the causative bacteria Legionella mainly inhabit, are inspected, and larval control activities continue focusing on major mosquito breeding sites such as sewers.

To prepare for high concentrations of fine dust and ozone, which are particularly severe in summer, the city will re-implement the alert and warning system. Especially this year, as part of strengthening high-concentration ozone reduction management, special inspections will be conducted on 740 facilities emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Minimizing Heatwave Damage... Activation of Stepwise Heatwave Crisis Alert Response System

During the heatwave countermeasure period, Seoul plans to monitor weather conditions through the Heatwave Situation Management TF and activate the Heatwave Comprehensive Situation Room and Heatwave Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters upon issuance of heatwave advisories and warnings to respond comprehensively to heatwaves. Protection measures for vulnerable groups such as elderly people struggling to endure summer heat, residents of jjokbangchon, homeless people, and persons with disabilities will also be strengthened.

To protect the health and safety of elderly people vulnerable to heatwaves, cooling centers will be expanded and linked with extended and nighttime shelters during heatwave advisories. From May 20 to September 30, 3,400 cooling centers including welfare centers, senior centers, community centers, and safety lodgings will be operated.

Home care services will be provided to about 35,000 elderly people who have difficulty moving and are vulnerable to health issues and cannot use cooling centers. Approximately 3,000 elderly care workers will check on them once or twice a week by phone to confirm their well-being and inform them of heatwave conditions. If contact is not made, life support workers will visit the elderly directly. During heatwave advisories, well-being checks will be conducted every other day.

Customized measures for homeless people and jjokbangchon residents are also implemented. An emergency relief team for heatwaves (28 teams, 57 members) visits and consults in areas densely populated by homeless people and responds to emergencies. For jjokbangchon residents, 14 dedicated cooling centers are operated, and pest control and disinfection to prevent infectious diseases are strengthened. Additionally, drinking water such as 20,000 bottles of Arisu (Seoul tap water) will be provided to help cope with heatwaves.

Energy vouchers for vulnerable groups can be flexibly used seasonally as needed. Households can use part of their winter vouchers (up to 45,000 KRW) in advance as summer vouchers or use remaining summer energy vouchers as winter energy vouchers.

Minimizing Wind and Flood Damage, Operation of Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters

To minimize wind and flood damage in summer, the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will be operated. The headquarters consists of 13 practical teams including rescue and first aid, facility restoration, and disaster site environmental maintenance teams, and conducts a three-stage emergency duty system based on rainfall conditions.

For the first time this year, Seoul has established a real-time response system called the ‘Automatic Rainfall Detection and Transmission System’ to prepare for localized sudden heavy rain. When rainfall is detected by about 170 rain gauges across Seoul, an automatic text message alert system sends notifications to flood control officers in the city and autonomous districts to enable rapid response to emergency heavy rain.

In addition, joint responses with autonomous districts and police are strengthened to prevent river isolation accidents caused by sudden heavy rain. When river water levels rise, the previous system where each district responded individually to river blockades will be changed to a joint response system where districts simultaneously operate blockade facilities by river unit to protect citizens from river flooding caused by sudden heavy rain.

Flood prevention facilities such as water barriers at about 92,000 flood-prone lowland households will be inspected simultaneously, and care officials will be matched one-on-one with major flood-vulnerable households to conduct phone calls and visits for damage prevention. Furthermore, to prepare for evacuees caused by wind and flood disasters, 1,044 temporary shelters including schools and government offices have been designated to accommodate over 670,000 people.

Safety Inspections of 784 Major Facilities... Proactive Safety Measures

To prevent major accidents in summer, Seoul will inspect the safety status of 259 multi-use facilities such as welfare centers, nursing facilities, and indoor gyms, which have seen increased users after the lifting of social distancing, as well as 784 major facilities including construction sites, bridges, and tunnels. To prevent serious industrial accidents caused by heatwaves, 119 workplaces will be inspected.

Additionally, the city will conduct thorough safety inspections of private construction sites, disaster-risk facilities (grades D and E), and transportation, water supply, and road infrastructure. Especially to ensure safe leisure during vacation season, safety inspections will be conducted on facilities such as campgrounds and performance venues. To prepare for water-related accidents in summer, 119 water rescue teams will operate at Yeouido, Banpo, Ttukseom, and Gwangnaru Hangang Parks, and the Seoul Citizen Safety Experience Center, which had operated programs online due to COVID-19, will resume on-site experiential programs from July.

Kim Ui-seung, Director of Planning and Coordination at Seoul City, said, “Seoul will do its best to protect the health and safety of all citizens from infectious diseases and summer safety accidents.”

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