On the 20th, Joint Visits Allowed at Nursing Hospitals... Gimhae City Eases Quarantine Rules for Infection-Vulnerable Facilities

Gyeongnam Gimhae City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Starting on the 20th, families hospitalized in nursing hospitals will be able to see their loved ones face-to-face.

Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 17th that the government will fully allow in-person visits at nursing hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and nursing facilities, considering the recent low positivity rate from preemptive testing of workers, accumulated fatigue, high vaccination rates among residents, and the decline in COVID-19 community spread.

According to government policy, quarantine rules for infection-vulnerable facilities will be relaxed, but the 7-day isolation requirement for confirmed COVID-19 cases will be extended for four weeks.

From the 20th, measures such as easing preemptive testing for workers and newly admitted residents, allowing in-person visits, outings, overnight stays, and participation in external programs will be possible.

The city plans to provide prior guidance to ensure the new quarantine rules are well established and will conduct on-site inspections at 30 nursing hospitals, 4 psychiatric hospitals, and 86 nursing facilities within Gimhae.

To prevent a resurgence of COVID-19, the city will encourage the 4th vaccination dose for workers and residents in infection-vulnerable facilities and provide online training to strengthen infection control capabilities for facility managers in preparation for a virus resurgence in the fall and winter seasons.

A permanent cooperation system among departments related to infection-vulnerable facilities will be maintained, and a dedicated response team of 11 members across 3 teams has been formed to respond to cluster infections.

Lee Jonghak, Director of the Public Health Center, said, “Although the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has recently been declining, the highest number of deaths has occurred due to cluster infections in infection-vulnerable facilities, so special caution is required,” adding, “We will establish a sustainable response system to proactively respond to new variants and resurgence in the second half of the year.”

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