[Q&A] "72.3% of Self-Quarantined Are Overseas Entrants... Total 27,066 People"

On the 1st, Korean residents and expatriates from the Milan area in Italy returned home on a charter flight, arriving at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. They boarded buses heading to The White Hotel in Pyeongchang, designated as a temporary living facility. Immediately after arrival, all passengers are transferred to a specific facility for COVID-19 testing. If everyone tests negative, they proceed to self-quarantine, but if even one person tests positive, all are placed in facility quarantine for 14 days. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been revealed that the total number of people under self-quarantine nationwide to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has reached approximately 27,000.

Park Jong-hyun, head of the Public Relations Management Team at the Pan-Government Countermeasure Support Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 3rd, "As of 6 p.m. on the 2nd, the number of people under self-quarantine is 27,066."

In particular, 72.3% of the total quarantined individuals were found to be overseas entrants. Among all quarantined individuals, 7,499 were domestic cases, and 19,567 were overseas entrants.

Since the 1st, the government has been enforcing a 14-day self-quarantine for all entrants, and among them, short-term foreign visitors are placed in facility quarantine. Ko Deuk-young, head of the Overseas Entry Management Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated, "The current number of short-term entrants from overseas under facility quarantine is 266."

◇Below is a Q&A regarding nationwide self-quarantine individuals including entrants

- Has the number of entrants decreased since the implementation of mandatory self-quarantine for all entrants?

▲ Since it has only been two days since the mandatory self-quarantine for all entrants was implemented, it is a bit early to evaluate the trend in scale. However, the total number of entrants over the past week has decreased from about 7,000 to below 6,000, which is considered an encouraging sign.

- I understand that when Korean nationals from Italy were quarantined in accommodation facilities located by local governments, there was no consultation with the local governments. Is there a legal basis for this?

▲ Measures regarding temporary living facilities are based on Articles 47 and 49 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, which stipulate quarantine and preventive measures against infectious disease outbreaks.

Generally, when designating living facilities, the relevant local government is notified. However, in some cases, due to concerns about disturbing nearby residents or business activities, sufficient prior consultation may not occur.

The Korean nationals who arrived on the chartered flight from Italy numbered nearly 600. Since the government operates various types of facilities such as living treatment centers, temporary living facilities, and temporary quarantine facilities, it was not easy to find facilities that could accommodate them. Although notification was made during the process of securing the Pyeongchang facility, there was insufficient consultation with nearby residents, and it is understood that consultation was completed just before admission.

- Seoul City has decided to conduct COVID-19 tests on all overseas entrants. Who will bear the cost?

▲ Through the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and others, special grants, disaster funds, and budgets allocated to local governments are permitted to be used for testing. Therefore, the expenses are initially covered by local government funds through the special grants and disaster funds allocated to local governments.

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