Governor Dongyeon Kim Issues Special Directives to Cities and Counties to Strengthen Safety Measures for Heat Wave Vulnerable Groups

On July 2, with heat wave advisories issued for 30 cities and counties in the province, Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim called for strengthened safety and protection measures for vulnerable groups such as elderly people living alone and workers in fields and paddies.

On this day, Gyeonggi Province urgently communicated the governor’s special directives for heat wave preparedness, which included these instructions, to each city and county.

Governor Kim stated, “Most areas in the province are experiencing heat waves with perceived temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius, and higher-than-average temperatures are raising concerns about heat-related illnesses among vulnerable groups. I ask that you strengthen preventive measures in a thorough and meticulous manner to ensure there are no blind spots in preventing heat wave damages.”

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province requested the following measures to minimize casualties from the heat wave: strengthening safety and protection measures for vulnerable groups (such as elderly people living alone, outdoor construction workers, and field and paddy workers) through welfare checks and monitoring; identifying the status of summer sports events and confirming safety accident prevention measures; promoting the temporary suspension of outdoor work during the hottest hours (14:00 to 17:00) and active use of rest facilities and cooling shelters; updating information on cooling shelters and inspecting their operational status; and actively promoting guidelines for heat wave preparedness to minimize heat-related illnesses.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim is visiting the disaster situation room in August last year and looking at the status board. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

Gyeonggi Province is implementing a “Heat Wave Response Home Visit Health Management Program” for vulnerable groups in the province.

The core of the Heat Wave Response Home Visit Health Management Program is that public health center visiting nurses and health management personnel visit the homes of, or contact by phone or text message, 140,000 households among health-vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with mobility difficulties, and those with chronic illnesses, to check their health status and provide customized health management services.

Gyeonggi Province has also been operating a joint task force for heat wave preparedness since June 29. The task force consists of 12 members in 6 teams: situation management, welfare measures, health management support, agricultural/livestock/fisheries measures, rescue and emergency response, and public relations.

Meanwhile, since April 11, Gyeonggi Province has become the first in the country to enroll in the Gyeonggi Climate Insurance, allowing any resident of the province to receive insurance benefits for injuries such as heat-related illnesses during this year’s heat wave period.

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