[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 26th, "If self-quarantine is violated without justifiable reasons, a zero-tolerance policy will be applied. Without justifiable reasons, offenders will be reported, and in the case of foreigners, they should be deported."
On the same day, Prime Minister Chung held a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for COVID-19 response at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "Self-quarantine is a legally enforced measure. Assign dedicated public officials to each self-quarantined individual and use location information systems to monitor the self-quarantine status in real-time to manage unauthorized departures."
The government is implementing strengthened quarantine measures for overseas entrants, including returning international students due to semester suspensions abroad. Following diagnostic tests for all arrivals from Europe, starting from midnight tomorrow, all symptomatic individuals and short-term foreign visitors arriving from the United States will undergo full testing, while Korean nationals and long-term foreign residents will be subject to 14 days of self-quarantine.
Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "Proper and thorough management of self-quarantine for entrants is essential to block the possibility of community spread and to reassure the public," adding, "Self-quarantined individuals must never go to supermarkets or enter restaurants."
He also stressed, "Smooth cooperation and teamwork between the central government and local governments managing the self-quarantined individuals are more important than anything else," and ordered, "Entrants must be accurately and strictly informed of self-quarantine guidelines, and public transportation should not be used when moving from the airport to their homes or other self-quarantine locations."
Furthermore, he added, "To enhance effectiveness, providing separate transportation to regional hubs should also be considered."
Prime Minister Chung said, "Parents who cautiously send their children to reopened academies out of concern for their studies are gradually increasing," and urged, "It is most desirable not to send children to academies at least until next weekend."
He continued, "If sending children to academies is unavoidable, strict compliance with quarantine rules is necessary," and mentioned, "For our children who deserve to be protected before adults, the Ministry of Education and related agencies should focus on inspecting whether academies are adhering to quarantine guidelines."
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