Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol, Close Contact with Confirmed Case... Self-Quarantine Until the 9th of Next Month (Update)

Minister Kwon Deok-cheol of the Ministry of Health and Welfare [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare, has entered a two-week self-quarantine after being in close contact with a Ministry of Health and Welfare employee who tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Although the quarantine authorities explained that the first and second vice ministers will ensure that there is no disruption to future work, concerns are emerging about a potential work gap as the minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the main department in charge of COVID-19, is absent.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 27th, Minister Kwon was officially classified as a close contact of a confirmed case around 10 p.m. the previous day and was notified to self-quarantine. Minister Kwon will self-quarantine until noon on the 9th of next month, which marks two weeks from the last day he had contact with the confirmed case. If symptoms such as coughing or sore throat appear during the quarantine period, he must undergo testing immediately.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that one staff member assisting Minister Kwon tested positive the previous day, prompting the minister to undergo a COVID-19 diagnostic test at the Sejong Health Center, which returned a negative result.

Son Young-rae, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said during the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing, "The infection route of the confirmed employee is under epidemiological investigation," adding, "In the first epidemiological investigation, about 13 close contacts, including the minister, were classified and all have entered self-quarantine." He continued, "There are also about 14 general contacts who are being managed with preemptive diagnostic testing." Among those who have received test results so far, none have tested positive.

Spokesperson Son further stated, "Although not classified as contacts in the epidemiological investigation, preemptive diagnostic testing is being conducted in shifts within two days, focusing on employees working on the 5th floor of the Ministry building, where the confirmed employee may have been present, and the 7th floor where the Central Accident Response Headquarters is located." He also said, "Disinfection has been completed in areas where movement paths may have overlapped, including the minister’s office and briefing room, and restrictions on the use of these spaces have been lifted."

Health and Welfare Minister Kwon Deok-cheol visited the Cheongju Osong Bestian Hospital, designated as a COVID-19 dedicated base hospital, on the 26th of last month to inspect the site.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

This is the second time a central government minister has been classified as a close contact and entered self-quarantine. In March last year, Moon Sung-hyuk, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, was the first minister to self-quarantine after contact with a confirmed case within the ministry.

As the minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a key position in the COVID-19 response, will be absent for an extended period, concerns have been raised about potential disruptions to quarantine operations. Minister Kwon currently also serves as the first vice head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, which oversees the COVID-19 response.

Spokesperson Son said, "We will make every effort to ensure that there is no disruption to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters operations, centered on the first and second vice ministers," adding, "Important matters will be reported and handled using non-face-to-face systems." He also said, "The first and second vice ministers will attend future Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meetings, and the minister will participate in other internal meetings via video to make key decisions and ensure that work proceeds without disruption."

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