[Q&A] "'Teukbyeol Ip-guk Jeolcha' Management More Rational Than 'Ip-guk Chadang'"

Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads worldwide, the necessity of entry bans on countries with COVID-19 outbreaks is being raised; however, health authorities emphasize that management through special entry procedures is a more rational approach. The government plans to expand special entry procedures to all domestic and foreign nationals entering Korea starting from the 19th.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, stated at a regular briefing, "Currently, most of our citizens are entering from overseas, and having directly experienced a large outbreak, we are learning more about COVID-19. At this point, we judge that it is reasonable to focus efforts on preventing the virus from entering the country through special entry procedures and, even if it does enter, to block it early."

◇ Below is a Q&A with Deputy Head Kwon Jun-wook regarding entry bans

- Major countries such as those in Europe and North America are also imposing entry bans. It seems that the diplomatic and economic burdens initially feared have largely been resolved.

▲ Regarding special entry procedures, it is important to carefully consider the remarks made by the WHO (World Health Organization) Director-General during today’s briefing. There was some criticism of excessively strict social distancing and even social lockdowns, especially in Europe. The emphasis was placed on the importance of identifying infected individuals, testing, and isolation. From the beginning, more of our citizens have been entering the country. Internationally, through the 'self-diagnosis app,' people with symptoms are filtered through quarantine procedures, and even if there are no immediate symptoms, a system is maintained to take prompt action if any symptoms appear. While a full entry ban might seem effective and simple to implement at first glance, we must consider the high number of our citizens entering. We believe that the current health policies, including quarantine and social distancing campaigns, are appropriate.

- Many confirmed cases have been imported from overseas, and most outbreaks in local communities likely occurred after leaving the airport. Apart from expanding special entry procedures, do you think a quarantine period of more than two weeks is necessary?

▲ It is true that some countries impose entry bans or require facility quarantine with strong measures during the 14-day incubation period for entrants. However, we have a reasonable alternative in the self-diagnosis app, and relevant ministries and authorities believe it is important to maintain daily life and necessary exchanges safely while conducting quarantine. So far, the best method is judged to be the special entry procedures.

Passengers on a flight from Hong Kong are lined up to install the 'Self-Diagnosis App' at Incheon International Airport. / Yeongjongdo = Photo by Airport Photographers Group

- Besides expanding the special entry procedure to all countries, are there any other strengthened measures?

▲ The self-diagnosis app allows individuals to report their symptoms. In addition, health center staff actively monitor by calling individuals to check symptoms. Local governments have prepared sufficient personnel to carry out this process, and doctors have also expressed readiness, so it is a situation where each local government can fully implement this.

- Should we understand that border closures like those in other countries are not being considered?

▲ WHO emphasizes many considerations and focuses on thoroughly identifying infected individuals, isolating, treating, and tracing connections. Today, the WHO Director-General wrote "Test, test, test" three times in writing. Rather than adopting measures just because other countries do, we proceed based on our own judgment and standards, which is the position of the health authorities.

- The international community prioritizes national interests, and expanding special entry procedures also incurs social costs. COVID-19 is spreading in many countries; is there no need to discuss entry bans even for a short period or for some countries?

▲ We have not completely refrained from entry bans. For example, in Hubei Province, where Wuhan is located, we imposed a 14-day stay and entry restrictions. That is linked to the outbreak situation in each country. Even if such cases are treated as special exceptions, currently most entrants are our citizens. Also, Korea has experienced a large outbreak following China and is learning more about COVID-19 from that experience. At this point, we judge that focusing efforts on preventing domestic inflow or early blocking through special entry procedures is reasonable.

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