Goseong-gun, COVID-19 Endemic... Beginning to Return to Daily Life

The government adjusted the COVID-19 infectious disease crisis alert level from ‘Severe’ to ‘Warning,’ effectively declaring an ‘endemic.’

The period of COVID-19, which once seemed endless, was overcome thanks to the efforts of various people who worked quietly across society.

In particular, the efforts of public officials and public institutions, who had not received much attention until now, stood out and they emerged as unsung heroes.

The public officials of Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, have also persevered through numerous sacrifices and silent efforts since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Photos of public officials in Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam, who have persevered with countless sacrifices and silent efforts since the outbreak of COVID-19.

From the first confirmed case in Goseong-gun on February 23, 2020, to reaching the endemic stage, and preparing for the future, we looked into their journey.

◆ Infectious Disease Response Appropriate to the Timing

From the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 through 2021, efforts focused on preventing cluster infections by conducting epidemiological investigations of contacts and enforcing quarantine measures based on individual confirmed cases.

They proactively organized work shifts to operate screening clinics 24/7, 365 days a year. In November 2020, Goseong-gun opened the first respiratory clinic within a public health center in Gyeongnam to prepare for the simultaneous spread of COVID-19 and influenza.

Additionally, they disinfected multi-use facilities, group facilities, and vulnerable facilities in all towns and townships weekly, striving to compensate for the characteristics of Goseong-gun, which has many elderly and vulnerable populations.

After vaccinations began in February 2021, priority was given to vaccinating high-risk facilities such as nursing hospitals, nursing homes, and hospitals. They also opened a COVID-19 vaccination center and achieved an 80% vaccination rate in about seven months, accelerating the process.

◆ Maintaining Vigilance Until the End

As of April 26, 2022, Goseong-gun reported 442 weekly confirmed cases, which decreased by more than 80% to 68 weekly confirmed cases as of May 3, 2023, over the course of about a year.

High-risk groups in vulnerable facilities actively participated in vaccinations during the winter season, significantly reducing the rates of severe cases and deaths.

Even as social distancing measures were fully lifted and mask mandates were removed in preparation for a return to normal life, the Goseong-gun Public Health Center established daily quarantine policies to maintain vigilance.

The screening clinics continue to operate 365 days a year, and the administrative guidance center is working to support confirmed cases. They consistently promote individual quarantine guidelines and provide preventive testing and self-diagnosis kits, among other quarantine supplies, to 25 vulnerable facilities and approximately 580 workers.

Shim Yoon-kyung, director of the public health center, said, “The Goseong-gun Public Health Center is preparing various measures to ensure that residents can safely return to their daily lives. We are strengthening infectious disease transmission monitoring functions, operating new infectious disease response systems, and training specialized personnel. Above all, we are focusing on enhancing the capabilities of infection control personnel in vulnerable facilities. We will do our best to play a pivotal role in the local community in the event of an infectious disease outbreak.”

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