Yongin Mayor Baek Kun-gi: "Many Asymptomatic Cases, Foreign Workers Must Get Tested by the 22nd"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Yongin Mayor Baek Kun-gi said during an emergency Facebook livestream at 2 p.m. on the 14th, "On the 13th alone, a total of 32 confirmed cases occurred, including 10 foreign workers," and urged "foreign workers must be tested by the 22nd."

Ten foreign workers holding Chinese, Myanmar, and Uzbek nationalities tested positive for COVID-19, and 11 people including nursing home residents and facility staff in the city tested positive, reflecting a significant increase in community transmission.

On the 8th, Gyeonggi Province issued an administrative order requiring all workers, including undocumented foreign workers, employed by business owners who employ one or more foreign workers to receive diagnostic testing by the 22nd. All foreign workers must comply.

In response, the city notified 1,354 workplaces employing foreign workers to undergo diagnostic testing. Testing can be received at the nearest temporary screening clinic, and the cost is free. When visiting testing sites, people must comply with quarantine guidelines including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

According to the city, as of 5 p.m. on the 13th, 3,794 people including foreign workers, housewives, and students visited screening clinics to receive COVID-19 diagnostic testing.

The city also sent disaster and safety text messages on the 12th to enable foreign workers with unclear addresses who frequently change worksites at construction sites or farms to receive diagnostic testing.

Starting on the 26th of last month, the city began vaccination of 10,477 people at 132 facilities in the city, including nursing homes, high-risk medical institutions, 119 emergency services, and health centers, who are targets for the first round of vaccinations. To date, 7,655 people, representing 73.1% of the target group, have completed vaccination.

Additionally, the second Gyeonggi Province Basic Disaster Income, which Gyeonggi Province is distributing at 100,000 won per capita to overcome COVID-19, has been applied for by 983,102 people, or 91.5% of 1,074,691 eligible applicants.

Separately, the city also provided 9.5 billion won in support through "Yongin-style Precision Support" to 28,343 locations including childcare centers, small business owners, entertainment facilities subject to assembly bans, and unemployed youth.

Mayor Baek said, "Complacency always targets the most vulnerable gaps and undermines our quarantine systems," and urged "as we must be most vigilant against large-scale confirmed cases like the third major outbreak, please comply with quarantine guidelines once more."

Meanwhile, as of the 14th, Yongin City has reported a total of 1,860 confirmed cases, excluding 189 people from outside the city.