Self-Quarantine App Launches Today... Police to 'Quickly Track' if Location is Left

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the application for managing self-quarantined individuals due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) enters full-scale operation, the police are expected to become busier. The police plan to respond swiftly by tracking the whereabouts of self-quarantined individuals if they leave their homes.

According to the police on the 7th, the National Police Agency has prepared related response guidelines and disseminated them to local police agencies following the launch of the 'Self-Quarantine Safety Protection App' service developed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The guidelines include provisions such as immediate support when a responsible official requests police dispatch upon confirming a self-quarantined individual’s departure, the 112 control center issuing location tracking and search orders, and the police chief of the jurisdiction designating dispatch elements to track the whereabouts.

The app is set to sound an alarm on both the quarantined individual’s and the administrator’s apps if the self-quarantined person leaves the quarantine location through the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS). The alarm will also sound if the quarantined individual disables the GPS function. Self-quarantined individuals must self-diagnose twice daily for COVID-19 symptoms such as fever and cough, then check 'Yes' or 'No' on the app and send the response.

The police reportedly prepared the guidelines anticipating cases requiring location confirmation of self-quarantined individuals following the app service launch. The Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act stipulates a fine of up to 3 million won for refusing mandatory measures by quarantine authorities. With the recent passage of the so-called 'COVID-19 3 Laws' in the National Assembly, from the 5th of next month, sentencing standards will be significantly increased to imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.

A police official urged, "If a person who has left the quarantine location is found, we will immediately return them to the quarantine site. If they refuse to return, we can forcibly move them upon request from the responsible official."

Meanwhile, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises, the number of self-quarantined individuals nationwide has also increased significantly. As of midnight on the 6th, there are approximately 32,400 self-quarantined individuals. The self-quarantine app will be operational from the 7th for the Android version and from the 20th of this month for the iPhone version.