Patient 15 Ate with Relatives During Self-Quarantine... Authorities "Reviewing Whether to Press Charges" (Update)

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] It has been confirmed that the 15th domestic patient of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) had a meal with his sister-in-law, the 20th patient, during self-quarantine, and the authorities are reviewing whether to file charges based on the violation of regulations.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed at a regular briefing on the 14th, "It is true that the 15th patient had a meal with the 20th patient during self-quarantine." According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, those subject to self-quarantine must live alone in a separate space and eat alone according to guidelines.

Even if unavoidable communication with family occurs, they must not face each other directly and must wear masks while maintaining a distance of at least 1 meter. If this guideline is clearly violated, a fine of 3 million won can be imposed under the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.

Director Jung said, "The 15th and 20th patients are relatives and share living spaces on different floors of the same house, so it seems it was difficult to strictly maintain self-quarantine." She added, "We will further investigate the details of these interactions and consult with local governments to decide on whether to proceed with filing charges."

The 15th patient was a suspected case who entered from Wuhan, China, and had been under self-quarantine since the 29th of last month. On the 1st at 2 p.m., he visited a public health center screening clinic due to respiratory symptoms, was tested, and confirmed positive on the 2nd. The day he ate with his sister-in-law was the 1st of this month. The sister-in-law was confirmed as the 20th patient four days after the meal.

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