Gyeonggi Province Recommends Monthly Preemptive COVID-19 Testing for One Household Member of Emergency Childcare Families

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province has recommended that families using "emergency childcare" services for kindergartens undergo preemptive COVID-19 testing for one household member once per month to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Currently, all kindergartens in the Seoul metropolitan area are closed under social distancing level 4, but attendance rates exceed 50 percent, with most parents using "emergency childcare" services. This necessitates quarantine management equivalent to normal operations.

Gyeonggi Province announced that it will implement a "Kindergarten COVID-19 Spread Prevention Measures Plan" incorporating these provisions starting from the 22nd.

According to the province, confirmed COVID-19 cases in kindergartens have been surging since July.

From January to June, the daily average was 4 to 5 cases, but from July 1-20, it reached an average of 10 cases per day.

Of the 1,033 confirmed cases in kindergartens in the province this year, 200 cases (approximately 20%) occurred in July alone.

Although kindergartens are officially closed due to distancing measures, emergency childcare is available if parents request it, resulting in an attendance rate of 53.8% (approximately 184,000 children) as of the 20th, raising concerns about cluster infections.

In response, the province has prepared four major measures for the health of kindergarten children and staff.

First, during social distancing levels 3-4, the province recommends preemptive testing (once per month) for at least one household member of emergency childcare children.

Given that household members spend considerable time together, the province believes that if at least one member undergoes periodic testing, it will be possible to determine whether the entire household is infected.

Even if the current distancing level is lowered to level 3 (when local governments decide whether to close kindergartens), the recommendation for preemptive testing remains in effect.

Additionally, the province has directed that ▲preemptive testing for kindergarten staff in cities and counties where cluster infections have occurred in kindergartens be expanded from once to twice per month ▲cities and counties conduct intensive guidance inspections on compliance with quarantine rules at kindergartens where five or more confirmed cases have occurred ▲cities and counties encourage vaccination for childcare staff and conduct continuous monitoring to ensure strict adherence to kindergarten quarantine rules.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "Confirmed cases among infants and young children, a health-vulnerable group, are increasing centered around kindergartens, and we will review all possible methods to prevent spread," and added, "We expect confirmed cases in kindergartens to decrease with these measures."