Self-Quarantine Violators Refusing Ansim Band Isolated in Facility... "Costs Borne by Themselves" (Update)

COVID-19 Disaster and Safety Headquarters "Introducing Safety Bands from the 27th"
Policy to Require Wearing with Consent for Quarantine Violators
Facility Quarantine for Those Refusing Safety Bands... 100,000 KRW Daily Cost Borne by Individual

The government announced on the morning of the 24th that the 'Self-Quarantine Violation Safety Band' will be implemented starting from the 27th. The photo shows Kim Kang-rip, the 1st Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), holding the safety band at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City on the same day.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Starting from the 27th, a measure to require safety bands for those violating self-quarantine by leaving their designated locations without permission will be implemented. Individuals designated as self-quarantine subjects include those who have been in contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients or have entered the country from overseas, as determined by health authorities due to infection concerns. This is based on the judgment that leaving the quarantine location poses a high risk of spreading the virus to others nearby.

However, due to the nature of the safety band, which exposes personal location information in real time, the individual's consent is required. If the individual refuses to wear it, they will be placed in a government-prepared facility. The cost will be borne by the individual.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19 finalized and announced on the 24th the plan to strengthen management of self-quarantine violators including these measures. According to authorities, the number of self-quarantine subjects has decreased from about 60,000 on the 14th to 46,348 as of the 22nd. As the number of subjects increased, cases of unauthorized departures also continued. Although individuals are required to install a separate application or are supervised by local government officials, gaps have emerged due to the increasing number of subjects.

Kim Kang-lip, the 1st General Coordinator of the Disaster and Safety Headquarters, stated, "Some cases of unauthorized departures continue to occur, so there is a need to strengthen management," and added, "We decided to introduce a self-quarantine management plan utilizing information and communication technology and discussed it at today's meeting."

A man in his 60s, identified as Mr. A, who is accused of violating self-quarantine rules related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), is leaving the courtroom after a pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 14th.

Accordingly, starting from the 27th, if a self-quarantine subject violates quarantine guidelines by unauthorized departure or not responding to phone calls, local government officials and police will be dispatched to the site to confirm the violation and require the individual to wear a safety band for the remaining quarantine period. If the individual refuses to wear it, they will be quarantined in a facility. The cost is expected to be around 100,000 KRW and borne by the individual.

Regardless of whether the safety band is worn, legal action will be taken. However, if the safety band is refused and the individual is quarantined in a facility, there is a possibility that the case may lead to detention depending on circumstances. These measures apply to self-quarantine subjects designated after 0:00 on the 27th. Existing unauthorized self-quarantine violators will not be subject to this.

Meanwhile, the safety management application used for the safety management of existing self-quarantine subjects has also been improved. If there is no phone movement for a certain period, a notification window appears through the app, and if the quarantined individual does not confirm it, a dedicated official will call to verify their current location. The GIS dashboard has been enhanced to comprehensively assess unauthorized departures by monitoring quarantine location and motion detection status.

Additionally, the number of daily health status checks by phone for quarantined individuals will increase from twice to three times, and random inspections of quarantine locations will be increased. For overseas entrants without a phone, rental phones or low-cost phones will be provided to encourage app installation.