The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is conducting its 2021 Comprehensive Measures for Seollal with a focus on “high-intensity disease control and prevention” and “economic vitalization of the public sector” during the Seollal holiday season, a critical moment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SMG’s 2021 Comprehensive Measures for Seollal will be pursued with 20 items on the action plan under five themes of safety, transportation, living, prices, and sharing.

First, the SMG will keep operating the response system to the spread of COVID-19 and reinforce its disease control and prevention measures.

○ The SMG will continue the normal operation of its COVID-19 Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, and keep operating more than one designated screening clinics in each autonomous district. Hospitals specializing in infectious diseases and the community treatment centers will also be operated as usual.

○ For smooth self-quarantine of international students, temporary living facilities will be operated starting Mon, Feb. 1. To this end, the SMG has secured one thousand rooms in five facilities.

○ To control those who are in self-quarantine, a monitoring and emergency response system will be operated around the clock to deliver supplies and spot check for absences without leave.

○ COVID-19 tests will be conducted on users and workers of facilities for the homeless, who are at risk of transmission, from Wed, Feb. 3 to Tue, Feb. 9. During the special disease control and prevention period for Seollal from Mon, Feb. 1 to Sun, Feb. 14, disinfection will be conducted in multi-purpose facilities, including large shopping malls and traditional markets.

“Online New Year’s Bow” campaign will be conducted to encourage people to refrain from traveling, and “Cyber Memorial House” services will be provided for users of municipal funeral facilities.

○ Charnel houses in municipal funeral facilities will be closed from Sat, Feb. 6 to Sun, Feb. 7 and from Thu, Feb. 11 to Sun, Feb. 14 to encourage people to pay their respects to their ancestors online. The measures, such as non-operation of free shuttle bus to the municipal cemeteries and prohibition of 5 or more persons visiting graves, will be promoted through social media, notification messages via KakaoTalk, press release, and the Seoul Facilities Corporation website.

Pre-examination will be conducted for preventing any safety accidents at construction sites and facilities, and safety inspection will be implemented for fire prevention.

Second, the SMG will not extend the time of last subway/bus operations to make people refrain from traveling, and will not increase operations for intracity buses that stop by municipal cemeteries. The SMG will continue the disinfection of the subway and buses, and conduct special disinfection for terminals and major subway stations.

○ Subway: Subway cars will be disinfected whenever it arrives the terminal, and restrooms in subway stations will be disinfected more than twice a day. Disinfection personnel will be concentrated at eight major stations (Seoul Station, Express Bus Terminal Station, Gimpo Int’l Airport Station).

○ Bus: The interior of buses will be disinfected with disinfectant spray every time it departs from the garage. Bus stop facilities will be disinfected once a week.

○ Terminal: The SMG will operate quarantine stations for suspected cases. If a suspected case occurs, he or she will be immediately quarantined in the station. Disinfection will be conducted more than three times a day in terminals, and the behavioral guidelines for preventing transmission will be announced through electric displays and PA system announcements.

Third, the SMG will minimize the inconvenience of citizens’ living by designating hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies that will open during the Seollal holiday, making sanitary workers serve special duty, and operating Dasan Call Center (+82-120) around the clock.

○ The SMG will designate 971 hospitals/clinics and 2,605 pharmacies that will open during the holiday to be prepared for emergency patients and maintain the emergency treatment system with 65 emergency medical institutions that will be in operation 24/7 (as of Jan. 30, 2021).

○ To maintain the fresh environment, the SMG will conduct the general cleaning based on the cooperation between the public and private sectors before the Seollal holiday. During the holiday, mobile teams will be mobilized to monitor the zones with frequent illegal trash dumping, and sanitary workers will be on special duty to keep the environment clean.

○ 120 Dasan Call Center will also provide consultation on any inconveniences of citizens. It will not only provide citizens with living information, such as the time of last subway/bus operations and waste disposals, but also operate the special code “0” to offer information on COVID-19 to minimize the inconvenience of citizens.

Fourth, the SMG will implement the measures to prevent the inflation of produces before the Seollal holiday, and encourage the vitalization of local businesses and agricultural-urban cooperation.

○ Special Seollal sales will be held both online and offline from Mon, Jan. 25 to Thu, Feb. 11, where over 400 items from 180 farms from 14 cities and provinces will be sold directly with prices at up to 35% off.

○ The SMG is issuing Seoul Sarang gift certificates to greet the Seollal holiday and support economical shopping for Seoul citizens. The certificates have been issued since Wed, Feb. 3 at a 10% discount. One can purchase up to KRW 700,000 per month and possess up to KRW 2 million.

Fifth, the SMG will not only prevent the transmission of COVID-19, but also provide customized support for the alienated neighbors, including the homeless and residents of dosshouses, and check the safety of vulnerable senior citizens.

○ To prevent the spread of COVID-19, leisurely holiday activities, such as traditional games, will be avoided and memorial services for ancestors will be conducted following social distancing as well as disease control and prevention measures. For dwellers of dosshouses, no party where many people gather will be held, but packed meals will be distributed for each individual.

○ Major holiday programs of welfare centers for the elderly and disabled as well as comprehensive welfare centers will also be held in an “untact” (contactless) manner. Special meals, holiday gifts (e.g. rice cake, traditional Korean cookies), and donated items will be delivered to each household through each local welfare center.

○ The SMG will check the safety of the vulnerable elderly citizens before and after the holiday. A total of 3,020 social workers will be mobilized to call or visit 33,939 senior citizens who require care services, including recipients of basic living aged over 65. In addition, the SMG will keep its emergency contact services to respond to emergencies to support the safe holiday for the elderly.

○ A total of 65 (31 emergency medical centers, 18 emergency medical institutions, 16 hospitals with emergency rooms)

First aid medications (13 items of 4 types, including antacids, antipyretics, cold medicines, and liniments) can be easily purchased at 7,126 stores that sell over-the-counter drugs, such as convenience stores. Visit the SMG website for details.

※ Days for waste disposal can be decided by area (neighborhood). Time of disposal is after sunset. For more information, direct your inquiries to your district office’s cleaning administration division or website.