Concerns Over Safety Gaps in Managing COVID-19 Self-Quarantine 'Safety Protection App' Amid Installation Failures and Errors

5,216 Self-Quarantine Individuals Without 'Safety Protection App' Installation... About 8% of Total
App Errors Including GPS Malfunction
Citizens Express Concern "Afraid of COVID-19 Spread"
Experts Emphasize Importance of Self-Quarantine Participants' Willingness to Follow Rules and Participate

As of August 26, 5,216 self-quarantined individuals had not installed the 'Safety Protection App,' which allows real-time tracking of their location. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation prolongs, the number of people subject to self-quarantine is also increasing. However, there have been continuous cases of individuals not installing the 'Safety Protection App,' which allows real-time tracking of quarantined individuals' locations. In particular, errors within the app itself, such as GPS malfunctions, have steadily increased, but there are criticisms that no measures have been taken to address these issues.

Experts suggest that it is necessary for members of society to be vigilant and adhere to self-quarantine rules when they become subject to quarantine themselves. While management by quarantine authorities is necessary, the awareness and compliance of the quarantined individuals with quarantine rules are the most important.

According to an investigation and analysis of data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety by Kang Ki-yoon, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee (United Future Party), as of 6 p.m. on the 26th of last month, the total number of self-quarantined individuals, including suspected COVID-19 cases or close contacts of confirmed patients, was 63,975, with 33,552 domestic cases and 30,423 overseas arrivals. Among them, 5,216 people (8.2%) were reported not to have installed the Safety Protection Application (app).

By region, Jeju had the lowest installation rate at 74.5%, followed by Seoul (87.4%), Daegu (88.6%), Incheon (89.9%), and Gyeongnam (91%). Chungnam was the only local government where all self-quarantined individuals installed the Safety Protection App (100%).

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, self-quarantine subjects include △overseas arrivals △close contacts who overlapped or came into contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Once classified as a self-quarantine subject, individuals must install the self-quarantine Safety Protection App on their phones following guidance from the responsible public health center official and remain isolated in a separate space for two weeks.

Currently, quarantine authorities require self-quarantine subjects to install the app with their consent. Once installed, an automatic alert is sent if the individual leaves the quarantine area, and the health status self-reported by the quarantined person is automatically notified to the assigned official.

An immigration officer at the Foreigners' Immigration Office of Incheon International Airport, wearing a full-body protective suit, is explaining self-quarantine guidelines after conducting an immigration inspection at the symptomatic passengers-only immigration desk on the afternoon of the 8th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

The problem is that if the subject refuses to install the app, it cannot be enforced. When a self-quarantined person refuses to install the app, the public health center substitutes monitoring by conducting surprise inspections or calling the individual's phone to check compliance. However, due to the limited number of officials compared to the increasing number of self-quarantine subjects, monitoring is challenging.

Given this situation, criticism arises that there is no way to manage or sanction those who do not comply with self-quarantine obligations.

Office worker Kim (27) said, "A friend’s acquaintance was self-quarantined after a colleague they worked with tested positive for COVID-19 and underwent testing. They were classified as close contacts and entered a two-week self-quarantine, but I heard that many violate rules by not installing the self-quarantine app, creating group chat rooms among those quarantining to share photos of grocery shopping trips, or hiding their quarantine status to dine with relatives."

He added, "Honestly, I don't think there is any way to sanction such people. Unless someone reports them, they deliberately hide it, and I wonder if the public health centers even know this is happening."

It is common for self-quarantined individuals who have tested positive or show suspected symptoms to leave their quarantine location without permission before confirmation.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, titled 'Judicial Processing Status for Violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act since the COVID-19 Outbreak,' as of the 26th of last month, among 1,630 violators, 610 were punished for violating quarantine orders. Seven were detained for violating quarantine orders, the highest proportion among the 12 total detainees.

Photo by Yonhap News

Moreover, frequent errors within the app itself, such as GPS malfunctions, have been reported. Kim (29), a public official responsible for managing self-quarantined individuals, said, "I am required to call the quarantined individuals I manage twice a day, but GPS errors occur frequently, so I often have to make additional calls to verify whether they have left the quarantine location."

As a result, citizens are raising concerns about blind spots in quarantine management. Office worker Seo (33) said, "I think management of self-quarantined individuals is insufficient. Some do not install the app, and there are many errors within the app itself. I am afraid that COVID-19 could spread because of these self-quarantined individuals. Social distancing has been relaxed, but I worry that the public will suffer again due to these issues. I urge authorities to come up with countermeasures as soon as possible."

In response, local governments are proposing measures to strengthen management, such as increasing the number of public officials dedicated to self-quarantine cases.

Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul announced last month that about 70% of its approximately 1,500 employees were designated as public officials dedicated to self-quarantine management. The district also conducts surprise visits at least once a week in cooperation with the police to check for any violations and listens to difficulties faced during quarantine.

Kang, who investigated and analyzed cases of non-installation of the self-quarantine Safety Protection App, pointed out, "Currently, self-quarantined individuals can choose between installing the app or confirming their location via phone calls, but local government quarantine authorities are not properly conducting phone checks, and the effectiveness of location verification by phone is also low due to the nature of calls."

Experts emphasize the importance of the willingness of self-quarantine subjects to participate. Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said, "The issue is less about the app or quarantine authorities' management and more about how well the individual subject to self-quarantine follows the rules. Ultimately, it is connected to civic awareness. Even if the app is not installed or the assigned official cannot call frequently, if the individual does not leave the designated place and does not contact others, there should be no problem." He added, "If these rules are not followed, it is necessary to employ coercive measures for public safety."

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