The province has designated three local hospitals that deal with COVID-19 patients. Inpatients at the three hospitals with other diseases are being moved to other hospitals.
The province is also expanding its workforce to implement virus testing and respond to emergency calls.
Joseph Kim reports.

A patient on the bed is being loaded onto the vehicle.

The ward where the patient has stayed, becomes empty.


To be prepared for possible mass infection of COVID-19, the province has ordered to vacate three designated hospitals.


Inpatients of the three hospitals that will deal with patients infected with the virus are being transported to eight other hospitals including (연강) Yeonkang Hospital, Jeju (사랑) Sarang Nursing Hospital, (아라) Ara Nursing Hospital and (탑동) Tapdong Hospital.


According to the order, the Jeju National University Hospital should vacate 110 beds.
Inpatients are expressing complaints about the measure as they are forced to move to a new facility.


The province asks for cooperation from inpatients and their families as the measure is needed to preemptively prepare for a possible mass infection in Jeju.


The province promises that it will bring patients back to the hospital where they had originally stayed, once the outbreak subsides.

Along with the hospital evacuation, the province is beefing up its workforce for COVID-19 testing as the demand for testing has soared.

The demand for testing is exceeding the current capacity, and public veterinarians and aquaculture health experts are being deployed for virus testing.

Members of the Korean Nurses Association and retired civil servants are dealing with emergency calls and visits by potential patients.


Meanwhile, 27 persons confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 in Jeju, but registered in other cities by their address will not be officially managed by the province according to the rules of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that quarantine and monitoring should be made by the local governments of one’s registered address.


However, the province will continue monitoring the 27 to keep the virus at bay.

Joseph Kim, KCTV