Detectives Also Deployed to Track Movements... Police Fully Mobilized Against 'New Coronavirus'

On the afternoon of the 28th, police personnel were supporting quarantine operations at the arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated the entire territory of China as a quarantine target contaminated area in relation to the novel coronavirus and made quarantine and submission of health status questionnaires mandatory for all arrivals.
Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police are also making all-out efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia). They are deploying frontline detectives to track confirmed patients and contacts, and are considering setting up their own situation room.

According to the National Police Agency on the 29th, in response to the novel coronavirus, 89 police officers are currently deployed at 13 quarantine stations nationwide, including Incheon International Airport, to support quarantine activities. They are responsible for safety management at quarantine stations in preparation for any emergency. The police's efforts are also behind tracking the whereabouts and movements of confirmed patients and contacts. When the whereabouts of two Chinese nationals who had contact with the first confirmed patient were unknown, personnel from the International Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency were deployed to confirm their movements. The police also identified the whereabouts of three Chinese nationals who had contact with the second confirmed patient and provided this information to health authorities.

In particular, the police played a significant role in confirming the movements of the third and fourth confirmed patients, whose travel routes were complex and who had many contacts. For the third confirmed patient, who traveled around the Gangnam area of Seoul for three days, detectives from the Gangnam and Suseo Police Stations and local police were deployed to check closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage one by one to track the movements. Additionally, to confirm the movements of the fourth confirmed patient, who had contact with the largest number of people so far?172 individuals?38 police officers gave up their Lunar New Year holidays and conducted route tracking for five days from the 22nd to the 26th.

The police are also deliberating on escort operations and security measures related to the deployment of charter flights. The government plans to deploy charter flights to Wuhan, Hubei Province, China?the outbreak site?on the 30th and 31st. With about 700 compatriots scheduled to board, the police are expected to be responsible for escorting them to quarantine locations and managing their safety thereafter.

Furthermore, under the supervision of the Cyber Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency, measures against fake news related to the novel coronavirus are being prepared. Previously, when fake news spread during the reoccurrence of MERS patients in September 2018, the police conducted monitoring and took actions such as deleting and blocking false posts under the concept of a "special crackdown." The police are reportedly considering the extent to which they will respond to fake news this time. Lee Yong-sang, head of the Crisis Management Division at the National Police Agency, said, "We are also considering the option of forming our own situation team."