Suwon's COVID-19 Response Praised for Speed and Accuracy

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Suh Dong-young] Suwon City's swift and systematic response following the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea is drawing attention.

The city began full-scale response efforts starting with a task force meeting on the 22nd of last month, immediately following the virus outbreak. A task force team was formed after this meeting.

On the 23rd, screening clinics were established at four district health centers and four hospitals throughout the city. Five days later, civil servants began 24-hour emergency duty shifts.

On the 31st of last month, it was confirmed that a childcare facility teacher in the city had shared a meal with the 7th confirmed patient. The city moved swiftly even before receiving official notification from Gyeonggi Province and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It immediately closed the childcare facility, sent children home, and disinfected the facility. It also conducted thorough disinfection of high-density areas such as Suwon Station.

Nevertheless, Suwon's first confirmed case (15th nationally) occurred on the 2nd. While disheartening, the city could not remain idle.

The city issued closure orders to all childcare facilities within its jurisdiction from the 3rd to the 9th. When the city's second confirmed case (20th nationally) emerged on the 5th, a temporary quarantine facility was prepared at Suwon Youth Hostel for those who had contact with the 17th confirmed patient. It is rare for a city-level government, rather than the central government, to establish quarantine facilities.

The city subsequently formed a 'COVID-19 Joint Response Council' with three universities in Suwon and is preparing measures for Chinese international students entering South Korea ahead of the new semester.

The city's rapid and accurate information disclosure also received praise. Since the 22nd, Mayor Yeom Tae-young has informed the public faster than anyone through his personal SNS. He was first to report that a childcare facility teacher had contacted the 7th confirmed patient, as well as news of the 15th and 20th confirmed cases. Comments circulated that "Mayor Yeom Tae-young's Facebook is faster and more accurate than portal site news."

However, as a basic local government, the city faced unavoidable limitations. Suwon City lacks the authority to conduct epidemiological investigations and confirm contact tracing routes, which hindered faster response and information disclosure. On the 8th, Mayor Yeom presented Prime Minister Jeong Se-gyun, who visited Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Suwon Hospital, with the 「MERS Daily Record」 documenting Suwon City's MERS response efforts from five years prior.

At this meeting, Mayor Yeom proposed, "For more effective response, the contact tracing routes prior to confirmation should also be disclosed. Basic local governments must be granted the authority to conduct epidemiological investigations and confirm contact tracing routes."