Concurrent On-Site Inspections and Special Investigator Investigations, Enhancing Quarantine Policies with Big Data Analysis
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections continues to spread, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 6th that it will strengthen the operation of the ‘COVID-19 Quarantine Rule Violation Reporting Center’ to enable anyone to quickly report violations of quarantine rules in order to overcome the crisis situation.
The Reporting Center is a dedicated COVID-19 related reporting window operated within Seoul’s integrated civil complaint center, Eungdapsso. Since the center’s establishment early last year, more than 40,000 citizen reports have been received and processed through this dedicated window, including violations of quarantine rules at multi-use facilities, failure to wear masks, violations of gathering bans, and breaches of self-quarantine.
Reports of quarantine violations received by the Reporting Center are managed separately from other complaints and are prioritized at the top of the complaint list before being quickly classified and forwarded to the relevant agencies and departments. The enforcement officers who receive the reports dispatch to the site for inspection and impose administrative measures such as guidance, fines, or business suspension depending on the severity of the violation. Additionally, based on the reports, the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Special Investigation Team for Quarantine, composed of officials from the city, autonomous districts, and the police, conducts special investigations.
The complaint data accumulated through citizen reports is also used for big data analysis to supplement quarantine policies in response to the constantly changing COVID-19 spread. Quarantine policies are continuously improved to respond to changes in the COVID-19 situation, and citizen feedback through complaints is reflected in policy improvements.
The Reporting Center can be accessed through the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s official website or the Eungdapsso website, supporting both PC and mobile devices. Seoul has linked the Reporting Center on the official website to allow anyone who witnesses a violation of quarantine rules to easily access the window, and it also provides guidance to access the Reporting Center through its operating social network channels.
Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Citizen Communication Planning at Seoul City, said, “At a time when the participation of each citizen is more important than ever to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to ensure that the efforts and sacrifices of citizens so far are not in vain, our city will continue to do its best in quarantine together with the citizens to overcome this crisis.”
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