'Third-country infection cases' mushrooming... Will China-limited quarantine system be revised?

Following Patient No. 12 from Japan and No. 16 from Thailand,
Patient No. 17 Entered Singapore
Criticism of Lax Quarantine System for 'Third Countries'

A guardian of a hospitalized patient is making a phone call in front of the entrance of Gwangju 21st Century Hospital, which was temporarily closed after a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection received treatment, on the morning of the 5th.

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Cho Hyun-ui] As a patient confirmed with the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) after traveling to Singapore has emerged following cases from Japan and Thailand, calls are rising to revise the quarantine system at entry points. Although the government strengthened quarantine measures limited to Wuhan City, China?the initial outbreak location?on January 8 and has since expanded restrictions to the entire country of China, cases presumed to have been infected in third countries continue to appear.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 5th, Patient No. 17, confirmed positive on this day, is a 38-year-old Korean male who traveled to Singapore for work from January 18 to 24. After returning, he was informed that a Malaysian confirmed case had attended the same conference he participated in for work. On the 4th, he visited a screening clinic, underwent examination and testing, and tested positive that morning. The exact infection route is currently under epidemiological investigation.

Patient No. 16, added as a confirmed case the previous day, also has an unclear infection route so far, but considering symptoms appeared after traveling to Thailand, it is highly likely the infection occurred locally in Thailand rather than within the domestic community. Earlier, Patient No. 12, confirmed on January 1, was found to have had contact with a confirmed case in Japan, and was tested and confirmed belatedly.

Designated Entire China as Contaminated Area Following Wuhan,
Strengthened Special Entry Procedures,
But Quarantine System for Non-China Countries Remains Unchanged

The current quarantine network at entry points is focused on China or Hubei Province, but patients presumed to have been infected outside China are appearing consecutively. Thailand has 25 confirmed cases, the highest among countries outside China, and Singapore also has a relatively high number with 24 cases. Singapore has also reported two asymptomatic carriers.

In response to criticism of a lax quarantine system, our health authorities designated Wuhan City as a contaminated area on January 8. A contaminated area is designated when a novel infectious disease outbreak occurs, requiring travelers to complete health questionnaires and undergo individual health monitoring upon entry. As cases spread beyond Wuhan City and Hubei Province to the entire country, from January 28, separate procedures have been implemented for all foreigners entering from China. Entry is completely denied for those who have visited Hubei Province, including Wuhan, within the past two weeks.

Even if infection with the novel coronavirus is suspected after traveling outside China, it remains difficult to get tested at screening clinics because the overall quarantine system is still focused on China. Until yesterday, the government maintained a stance to consider expanding the entry ban to other parts of China after monitoring the situation, but was negative about applying the strengthened quarantine system to other countries outside China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.