By Jun Ji-hye
The central government and municipal administrations have pledged a zero-tolerance policy for those who do not comply with 14-day quarantine rules imposed in as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, warning that violators would face criminal charges and possible compensation suits, officials said Friday.
Any foreigners who leave their self-isolation venues without permission will face deportation, officials added.
The government has made it mandatory for all Korean nationals and foreigners from Europe and the United States to self-isolate in their homes or quarantine facilities if they intend to stay more than 90 days here, even if they show no symptoms.
The measure comes amid a continuous increase in the number of foreign-origin coronavirus cases amid the global pandemic.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) detected 91 additional cases, Thursday, bringing the total number to 9,332. Of the 91 new cases, 13 tested positive at airports.
The KCDC said 309 patients including 31 foreigners out of the total 9,332 were infected abroad.
The government and municipalities issued the strong warning as some arrivals from Europe and the United States have appeared to violate the self-isolation guidelines, sparking concerns about the further spread of COVID-19 in local communities.
“Monitoring those subject to mandatory two-week self-quarantine has become more important as the number of patients who were infected abroad keeps increasing,” said Na Baek-joo who is a health official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), during a briefing.
“The SMG will apply zero tolerance to violators of the self-quarantine guidelines by, for example, filing compensation suits against them.”
The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government said it has decided to file a compensation suit against a mother and daughter who traveled to Jeju Island despite showing symptoms associated with the coronavirus.
The two tested positive right after returning to Seoul.
The daughter, a student of a university in the United States, came back to Korea, March 15, and traveled to the resort island with her mother for five days from March 20.
The daughter suffered muscle pain and a sore throat on the first day of the trip, and even visited a local hospital on March 23.
The Jeju provincial government said there seemed to be “intentionality” in the two’s behavior as they pushed ahead with their trip despite the daughter showing virus symptoms, noting that the amount of compensation for resulting damages is estimated at 100 million won ($83,000).
The plaintiff would include the provincial government, which spent its budget for disinfection activities, and owners of shops visited by the two and forced to be shut down as well as local residents who were ordered to self-isolate after coming in contact with the two.
“Some selfish visitors and their guardians will have to be held legally accountable,” Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said.
Meanwhile, the KCDC said the government will instruct all air carriers to check the temperature of passengers before they board flights heading to Korea, beginning from Monday.
Under the measures, airlines are required to deny the boarding of passengers whose temperature is above 37.5 degree Celsius and issue a refund of the airfare.
