S. Korea to pursue tougher isolation measures as people continue to break quarantine

Posted on : 2020-04-07 17:28 KST Modified on : 2020-04-07 17:42 KST
Disease authorities consider sharing data with police to enforce self-quarantine
Incoming passengers at Incheon International Airport wait for buses on Apr. 6. (Yonhap News)
Incoming passengers at Incheon International Airport wait for buses on Apr. 6. (Yonhap News)

Amid a string of cases where individuals have failed to observe self-isolation rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the South Korean government is pursuing measures to produce practical results in clamping down on violations, including the possible sharing of self-quarantine data with police.

Some consider electronic bracelets to monitor those in self-quarantine

As self-quarantine violations have continued despite the punishments being intensified to up to one year in prison and/or a fine of up to 10 million won (US$8,172) as of Apr. 5, some have been proposing the use of electronic bracelets as a means of imposing further controls. A foreign national was also forcibly deported for the first time after refusing to enter a quarantine facility upon arrival in South Korea.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ) announced on Apr. 6 that a total of six people had been found to have violated self-quarantine measures on Apr. 5, including five South Korean nationals and one foreign national. The headquarters added that it was “considering filing criminal charges and deportation measures.”

As of Apr. 5, 41,723 people were in self-quarantine across South Korea, with an average of 6.4 per day (137 cumulatively as of Apr. 4) breaking quarantine. In fact, some individuals have been charged with violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act after being reported to police for leaving their self-quarantine setting without permission. The same day, North Jeolla Province announced that the city of Iksan had reported a mother in her 40s and her son to police for spending six minutes on an apartment playground in violation of coronavirus quarantine guidelines.

South Gyeongsang Province lodged an accusation the same day against a 20-something coronavirus patient in Sancheong County who had broke quarantine to visit a restaurant with friends. Incheon’s Namdong (Southeast) District also reported a 20-something patient to police on Mar. 31 for breaking quarantine three times -- including leaving to purchase cigarettes -- and disregarding warnings by a supervising government official. Cases of individuals breaking self-quarantine to walk in the park or buy items at the convenience store or using the KTX high-speed railway and other forms of public transportation have also been discovered by authorities.

Three-tiered monitoring system and twice-weekly spot checks in response to series of self-isolation violations

In response to the series of self-isolation violations, a Ministry of the Interior and Safety senior official said on Apr. 6 that “consideration is being given to sharing information about individuals in self-isolation with police to allow for spot checks on whether they have violated self-isolation.” This follows the Apr. 5 announcement of supplementary measures with dedicated management organizations established in the central and local governments to provide a three-tiered monitoring system and conduct twice-weekly spot checks.

Some experts have gone so far as to suggest having patients wear an electronic bracelet to sound an alarm when individuals exit their isolation area. In response, Kim Gang-lip, vice minister of health and welfare and deputy chief of the CDSCHQ, said that day that “while attaching bracelets directly to people’s bodies to monitor departures from self-quarantine spaces in real time may be an effective approach in practical terms, we all have to take into account things like the time and costs needed for development, as well as problems that might arise in application and possible legal issues.”

Taiwanese woman deported; 3 Vietnamese students leave mobile devices at home to avoid detection

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) announced the same day that it had “deported a Taiwanese woman who entered South Korea via Incheon International Airport on Apr. 2 and indicated during upon arrival at the quarantine facility that she could not pay the costs.” The Taiwanese woman was the first person to date to have been deported after arrival in South Korea for refusal to enter a quarantine facility.

The MOJ also summoned three Vietnamese students on Apr. 5 for questioning over their recent departure from their quarantine facilities. The students in question, who arrived between Mar. 28 and Apr. 1, had been placed in isolation in a residential area near Kunsan National University in North Jeolla Province after testing negative for the coronavirus. But they were subsequently confirmed to have visited a park in violation of their guidelines, leaving their mobile phones behind in the residence to conceal their departure. As of Apr. 5, a total of 58 foreign nationals arriving from overseas had tested positive for the coronavirus, with five of them discovered to have violated quarantine measures.

By Noh Ji-won, Park Da-hae, and Hwang Chun-hwa, staff reporters

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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