Daegu 'Hospitalization Waiting' 535 Confirmed Patients Refuse Admission to Residential Treatment Center (Comprehensive)

Reasons such as living with family, quarantine period release, and hospital treatment requests
Daegu City "Admission is not optional... Decided by health authorities"
Strengthened management of confirmed patients waiting for hospitalization... Police investigation if they leave

On the afternoon of the 4th, ambulances carrying confirmed COVID-19 patients lined up at Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Hospital, a regional base hospital for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Jung-gu, Daegu. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Daegu·Gyeongbuk=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Among the patients in Daegu who tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and are waiting for hospitalization at home, 535 have refused to be admitted to the residential treatment centers.

On the 10th, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin stated at a regular briefing held at Daegu City Hall, "Among the 1,858 confirmed cases waiting for hospitalization at home, 535 are refusing admission to residential treatment centers for various reasons."

According to Daegu City, these individuals cited reasons such as living with children and family members, the approaching end of the 3-week quarantine period, and requests for hospital inpatient treatment as grounds for refusing admission to the residential treatment centers.

Mayor Kwon emphasized, "While we will consider the patients' situations before making decisions, I want to reiterate that admission to residential treatment centers is not a matter of patient choice but a decision made by the quarantine authorities," adding, "We demand compliance with Daegu City's policy first."

Meanwhile, the city has determined that one of the reasons confirmed patients avoid admission to residential treatment centers is the unclear guidelines regarding the confirmation of recovery and the release from self-quarantine, and thus plans to refine the regulations in detail.

The Daegu Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to prepare clear guidelines on hospital discharge, residential treatment center discharge, and release from self-quarantine for confirmed patients, and after consulting with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, will announce them on the 11th.

Separately, the city will also strengthen management measures for confirmed patients waiting for hospitalization.

Starting today, each district and county will form dedicated management teams of about 100 members to closely monitor compliance with self-quarantine obligations, assess health status, and resolve and support daily inconveniences.

Location tracking via an app and twice-daily phone calls will be standard; if calls are not answered, four calls will be made at 30-minute intervals, and if still unreachable, police will conduct a visit investigation.

The city explained, "If a self-quarantine location is left without authorization, police will immediately conduct location tracking and investigation."

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