Gyeonggi Province Extends Operating Period of Kyonggi University Dormitory COVID-19 Community Treatment Center

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province expressed gratitude to Kyonggi University students and faculty for agreeing to extend the operating period of the COVID-19 community treatment center established in the university dormitory, and stated its commitment to making best efforts to support them without causing inconvenience to students.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 13th, Kyonggi University's student council and Acting President Jeon Jun-cheol announced on that afternoon that they had decided to extend the usage period of the Kyonggi University dormitory, which is currently being operated as the No. 14 COVID-19 community treatment center.

Earlier, the province requested the university's cooperation in extending the usage period of the community treatment center, and Kyonggi University held final consultations among the faculty assembly, faculty union, and student council to reach agreement on extension.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province's No. 14 community treatment center was planned to operate from July 14 to August 20 during the students' summer break; however, with cooperation from students and the university, operations have been extended for approximately one additional month until September 30.

This decision comes at a time when spare beds are becoming scarce due to an intensified fourth wave of the pandemic, making it possible to secure approximately 1,000 beds for mild COVID-19 patients.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "We express our gratitude to Kyonggi University students and faculty for making this difficult decision again following last winter," and added, "We will make all possible efforts to prevent student inconvenience by pursuing an extension of the usage period for alternative accommodations at the Veterans Research Institute and other measures."

Kyonggi University dormitory opened as the No. 10 community treatment center on December 17 of last year and treated 1,954 mild COVID-19 patients until January 28 of this year, helping them return to daily life.

As the fourth wave outbreak occurred again, it reopened as the No. 14 community treatment center on the 14th of last month, and as of the 12th, 3,181 mild patients had been admitted.

Meanwhile, as of 0 o'clock on the 13th, Gyeonggi Province is operating a total of 11 community treatment centers with 4,212 beds, including Kyonggi University dormitory, Icheon Educational Training Institute, and Goyang Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Global Campus.