"Business Names Kept Confidential?" Minimal Disclosure of Confirmed Patients' Movements Sparks Public Debate

COVID-19 Resurgence... 1,900 New Cases Over 8 Days
"Disclose Business Names" vs "May Increase Anxiety" Debate
Experts: "Protecting Citizens Over Economy... Detailed Information Must Be Released"

On the 19th, the COVID-19 screening clinic at Jongno-gu Public Health Center was crowded with citizens waiting to get tested. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] "We need to know the business name to avoid going there," "It's unsettling because we can't avoid it."

As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues mainly in the metropolitan area, including the recent cluster infection from the Gwanghwamun rally, there is ongoing debate among citizens regarding the disclosure of confirmed patients' movement paths. This is because local governments disclose information differently, either by keeping business names confidential or by only announcing the type of location for stores included in the confirmed patients' routes.

Citizens are raising their voices demanding that business names of visited stores be disclosed, excluding personal information of confirmed patients, while others argue that only minimal information should be provided to prevent significant damage to the affected businesses, leading to ongoing disputes.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 21st at 12 a.m. that 324 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed domestically. The daily new confirmed cases from the 14th to the 21st were 103 → 166 → 279 → 197 → 246 → 297 → 288 → 324, totaling 1,900 confirmed cases over eight days.

Among the 324 new cases on this day, 244 were confirmed in the metropolitan area. By region, there were 125 in Seoul, 102 in Gyeonggi, and 17 in Incheon.

Each local government is informing about confirmed cases in their jurisdiction through websites, blogs, and social media. However, most local governments only disclose the date of confirmation, testing location, and symptoms, without revealing detailed movement paths.

The problem is that because in-depth epidemiological investigations take a lot of time, movement paths cannot be disclosed immediately after a confirmed case occurs. Even when disclosed later, business names are often marked as 'confidential' or only the type of place such as 'restaurant' or 'convenience store' is announced, increasing citizens' anxiety.

Kang (27), an office worker living near Hansung University Station in Seongbuk-gu, said, "I feel uneasy living in the district where Sarang Jeil Church is located. I think there must be many contacts." He added, "But it's so frustrating that detailed movement paths are not disclosed."

Kang said, "Citizens can take precautions only if the movement paths are accurately disclosed," and raised his voice, "What use is it to announce 'confidential' long after a confirmed case appears?"

On the morning of the 21st, citizens lined up to get tested at the COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the other hand, some argue that disclosing exact business names is unnecessary.

They claim that since contact tracing and quarantine measures have been completed, business names are not disclosed, and that disclosure could harm the affected businesses and nearby commercial areas.

B (31), an office worker living in Seocho-gu, Seoul, said, "I think disclosing all information would only increase anxiety," and expressed concern, "Even if all measures are completed and the business is safe, once it is labeled as a 'COVID-19 outbreak site,' it will suffer huge losses."

B said, "Exact business names are disclosed when contacts are not identified or large-scale infections occur. I understand the anxiety, but people need to stay calm."

Following the recommendation from the quarantine authorities on July 7 regarding 'Disclosure of information such as movement routes of COVID-19 confirmed patients,' local governments have taken the stance of not disclosing information that can identify individuals.

In Seongbuk-gu, where Sarang Jeil Church is located, the type of place such as 'mart,' 'PC room,' 'restaurant,' and the administrative neighborhood (dong) where the business is located are announced. After residents' complaints, Seongbuk-gu stated it will try to disclose more detailed information reflecting residents' opinions.

On June 30, the CDCH recommended local governments to disclose only information necessary for infectious disease prevention. The recommendations include ▲deleting disclosed information 14 days after the confirmed patient last contacted others ▲not disclosing personal identifying information such as gender, age, nationality, workplace, or residence ▲disclosing places and means of transportation where contacts occurred ▲not disclosing if all contacts in the space are identified.

However, workplace names can be disclosed if there is concern about transmission to an unspecified large number of people at work, and places can be disclosed if there are unidentified contacts among them.

Experts suggest prioritizing public safety by disclosing detailed information while the government should prepare compensation measures for any resulting damages.

Professor Kim Tae-gi of Dankook University's Department of Economics said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 21st, "Protecting the public is more important than the economy," and added, "I think business names should be disclosed to the public."

Professor Kim emphasized, "However, in such cases, businesses suffer damages, so the government should prepare compensation measures. Business owners are not at fault; the confirmed patient just happened to visit as a customer. Clear compensation should be provided to affected merchants."

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