Xiangmihu Subdistrict in Futian District is stepping up efforts to screen South Koreans residing in or returning to the subdistrict amid a growing coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, whose confirmed cases are now the highest of any country except China.
The subdistrict is one of the most popular residential areas preferred by expats in Shenzhen.
As of August 2019, 1,422 foreigners had registered as living and working in the area, of which 533 were South Koreans, accounting for the largest proportion, according to the subdistrict office.
Xie Hong, an official in charge of foreign affairs with Xiangmihu Subdistrict Office, said the subdistrict will beef up preventative measures already in place and implement stringent monitoring of South Koreans residing in or coming back to the subdistrict.
Xie noted that the East Pacific Garden, a residential estate in Donghai Community that accommodates a large number of South Koreans, was quick to take precautionary measures and had issued a bilingual notice in Korean and Chinese to its residents Tuesday.
The notice required all residents returning from coronavirus-hit areas to self-isolate at home for 14 days.
Residents who have recently returned to the housing estate from South Korea are urged to stay at home for 14 days upon entering the estate, have their temperatures checked every day, and have their household garbage collected and their takeout and packages delivered to their apartments by the property management staff, said the notice.
“The bilingual notice will subsequently be distributed to all nine communities in the subdistrict,” said Xie, adding that a bilingual questionnaire inquiring about the recent travel history of South Koreans in the subdistrict has also been handed out.
So far, the subdistrict has opened two centralized observation points for travelers from epidemic-stricken areas, and nucleic acid tests can be conducted at these observation points, Xie told Shenzhen Daily.
South Korea confirmed an additional 284 novel coronavirus cases as of 4 p.m. local time yesterday, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 1,261, according to its health authorities.