The Seoul Metropolitan Government has recommended temporary COVID-19 testing sites in the capital shut down on days when heat wave warnings are issued.

Song Eun-cheol, the city's epidemic control officer, said on Tuesday that temporarily suspending testing during extreme heat will not only keep the public safe but also help protect medical and quarantine workers from heat-related illnesses.

There are more than 50 free public screening centers operating across the city.

Recently, many of these makeshift centers have been overwhelmed by large crowds of people waiting to get tested amid hot, summer weather and rising COVID-19 infection rates in the capital region.