[W Forum] Quarantine Principles Must Evolve Through Coexistence and Communication

The people have endured for a long time. Even when life and death depended on social distancing levels, the civic consciousness of South Korea in the era of infectious diseases shone brighter than in any other country. The news on the 16th that the 2.5-level social distancing would be maintained may have brought disappointment to those who had hoped for a change. However, the power of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has taught us that even within limited boundaries, we must create our own way of life. Recently, through collective actions and cries from facilities such as gyms and Haedong Kendo, the government and the National Assembly have been tasked with finding reasonable alternatives to quarantine guidelines together with the people.

The difficulty lies in the fact that creating standards for daily quarantine based on scientific evidence is unprecedented worldwide, so there are no benchmark cases to refer to. Since overseas examples only show lockdowns when confirmed cases surge, as seen in the UK, Japan, and Sweden, establishing democratic, facility-specific, and industry-specific quarantine standards is a path we have ‘never traveled before.’

However, it is not that there is no way at all. By adhering to common rules for responding to COVID-19, there is an opportunity to create scientific evidence in the ‘With COVID-19 era’ and, based on this, develop consistent and equitable quarantine guidelines, thereby once again demonstrating the excellence of the ‘K-quarantine model.’

Let us imagine our lives after COVID-19 vaccination. Masks, hygiene rules, and regular ventilation will still be essential, but there is a need to transition to more flexible guidelines that rationally adapt daily quarantine for the people. Until now, the concept of quarantine guidelines has been based on ‘do not do anything that poses a risk of transmission,’ with ‘allowed activities’ being restricted step by step. After vaccination, quarantine guidelines should shift to the premise of ‘everything can be done,’ emphasizing only the ‘minimum activities that must not be allowed’ at each stage.

Facing the third wave, we must acknowledge the limitations of our quarantine efforts, which lacked the luxury of communication and attention to detail. At this two-year mark of COVID-19, the state must take the lead. Citizens must also actively participate in designing quarantine measures. Citizens, who best understand the characteristics of each living space and activity, should design quarantine guidelines themselves through a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down one to improve unreasonable rules.

Even if citizens propose ideas, a system is needed where experts can judge their feasibility based on scientific evidence. Since infection risk varies depending on the type of gathering place and activity, we must find a ‘Korean-style methodology’ to measure this and develop evidence-based rules. Even if it is already late, we must start now because the virus will repeatedly return. This is also why we need to check whether the research system for collecting and analyzing COVID-19 clinical data is properly established and operating, and why we must focus on designing infrastructure through bold investments to accumulate clinical data.

If evidence-based scientific quarantine guidelines created by citizens address even the finer details of our lives, they will fundamentally help minimize inequalities arising in the COVID-19 era. A scientific approach for democracy means creating social distancing guidelines together through coexistence and communication quarantine, which is the direction we must take in this recurring era of infectious diseases.

Shin Hyun-young, Member of the National Assembly, Democratic Party of Korea