"To Succeed in Social Distancing... Strengthen Punishments for 'Quarantine Saboteurs'"

Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health 'COVID-19 Research Team' Announces First Survey Results

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Seven out of ten Koreans feel that stronger penalties are needed for individuals or groups who violate the government and health authorities' ongoing 'social distancing' policies to enhance their effectiveness. This concern arises from the recent trend of people hiding visits to places where cluster infections occurred during COVID-19 epidemiological investigations or providing false movement routes, leading to further transmission.

According to the first survey results of 'COVID-19 and Social Health' released on the 7th by the Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, 70.6% of respondents identified "amending laws to punish individuals and groups obstructing quarantine" as the most important factor for the success of social distancing policies. The second most important was "establishing measures to punish the spread of false information and fake news (42.2%)," followed by "providing emergency livelihood support for workers in financially difficult sectors (40.8%)."

The government and health authorities raised the nationwide social distancing level to Stage 2 on the 23rd of last month and decided to extend this from midnight on the 7th until midnight on the 20th for two weeks. The metropolitan area entered an enhanced social distancing Stage 2.5 from the 30th of last month and will continue this for an additional week until midnight on the 13th.

Failure to comply with Stage 2 social distancing measures, such as prohibiting gatherings at high-risk facilities and banning indoor gatherings of over 50 people and outdoor gatherings of over 100 people, will result in fines of up to 3 million KRW under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. This includes Stage 2.5 measures in the metropolitan area, such as banning on-site consumption at franchise cafes and bakeries and allowing only takeout and delivery during nighttime hours, as well as violations of quarantine rules like obstructing epidemiological investigations, mandatory mask-wearing enforced by local governments, and self-quarantine guidelines.

Source: Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health

False or Delayed Statements in Epidemiological Investigations Lead to Further Spread
Over 70% of Respondents Say "Laws Punishing Individuals and Groups Obstructing Quarantine Should Be Amended"

Recently, COVID-19 cases have surged mainly among participants of religious facilities in the metropolitan area and the August 15th rally in downtown Seoul. Some individuals have concealed their attendance at gatherings or provided false movement routes during epidemiological investigations, hindering efforts to quickly contain further spread. To prevent such behavior, the government and local authorities have threatened legal action and announced plans to claim compensation for testing and treatment costs and business losses caused by additional confirmed cases. According to the survey, a majority of the public agrees on the need to amend related laws to increase penalties and strictly punish the dissemination of inaccurate information.

Additionally, 85.9% of respondents reported always wearing masks when going out in the past week, and more than half complied with guidelines such as practicing proper cough etiquette (55.9%) and canceling meetings or refraining from attending events (52.2%). However, practices like regular ventilation (27.5%) and maintaining a 2-meter distance when meeting others (23%) were relatively insufficient.

Professor Yoo Myung-soon of Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, who oversaw the survey, stated, "We confirmed that mutual trust has been significantly damaged by some individuals' deviations from national quarantine efforts, which is a red flag that cannot be overlooked." She added, "The authorities' warning that 'anyone can be infected' should not be allowed to turn into 'no one can be trusted,' which is the research team's consensus."

This survey was conducted by the COVID-19 Planning Research Team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, commissioned to the professional polling agency KSTAT Research Co., Ltd. It sampled 2,000 adults aged 18 and over nationwide using proportional allocation by gender and age. The survey period was from the 25th to the 28th of last month, with a sampling error of ±2.19 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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