Self-Quarantine Known Only to Oneself, Who Reports the Violation...

Unauthorized Quarantine Escape Detected via App, Surprise Inspections, and Resident Reports
"Quarantine Information Unknown, but Neighbor and Acquaintance Reports Are Surprisingly Frequent"

On the afternoon of the 9th, a simulation drill to re-quarantine COVID-19 self-isolation violators was held at Jeju International Airport, organized by the Airport Police Unit of Jeju Provincial Police Agency.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] A couple in their 60s living in Busan was caught visiting a model house and a restaurant despite being subject to self-quarantine after returning from overseas. Another person, who was on the same flight as a confirmed COVID-19 patient, was supposed to self-quarantine but was found frequently visiting a nearby cafe. There were also cases where individuals left their phones behind to avoid location tracking or provided unreachable phone numbers, only to be caught after police investigations.

To prevent unauthorized departures from self-quarantine, health authorities require the installation of an application capable of real-time location tracking. Designated local government officials or police officers regularly contact self-quarantined individuals by phone or conduct surprise inspections to ensure compliance with quarantine measures. There are also cases reported by neighbors. A mother and daughter who went to a playground for six minutes after returning from overseas were caught due to a neighbor’s report.

Since this month, virtually all domestic and foreign nationals entering from overseas have been designated as self-quarantine subjects, increasing the numbers to tens of thousands. According to authorities, as of the 10th, there were about 57,000 people, and it is estimated to have reached around 70,000 currently. Self-quarantined individuals are monitored and managed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments, but unauthorized departures have also increased accordingly. As of the 10th, 97 cases involving 106 people were under investigation for violating quarantine measures. Among them, 11 cases involving 12 people are facing prosecution.

Despite repeated warnings from authorities about zero tolerance and strict measures against unauthorized departures, violations continue to occur steadily. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 14th, six cases involving five people were detected the previous day. Among these, two cases were identified through the self-quarantine app. On the 12th, seven cases were detected, five of which were identified via the app.

Besides the app, unauthorized departures are confirmed through surprise inspections by local government officials or reports from neighbors via online platforms such as the Safety Report Center. Since the designation as a self-quarantined individual is only notified to the person concerned, it is difficult for those around them to know. Nevertheless, it is reported that there are quite a few cases identified through neighbor reports.

Park Jong-hyun, Public Relations Manager of the Pan-Government Countermeasure Support Headquarters, said at a briefing that "There have been 108 reports of self-quarantine violations through the Safety Report Center so far, and among them, four cases have been reported to the police," adding, "Neighbors cannot know whether someone is under self-quarantine, but surprisingly, many reports come from neighbors and acquaintances."

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