"Reduce Patients to 200s Within 2 Weeks"…Special Metropolitan Area Quarantine Measures Announced (Comprehensive)

Seoul and Gyeonggi Strengthen Quarantine Management for Dense Facilities and Foreign Workers

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Ji-hee and Lee Chun-hee] The quarantine authorities announced the 'Special Quarantine Measures for the Seoul Metropolitan Area' on the 16th to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area, which is considered the trigger for the resurgence of the third wave. The measures include designating 30 crowded facilities such as shopping malls and department stores in Seoul for focused management and conducting on-site inspections twice a week at businesses suspected of violating quarantine rules. Additionally, quarantine measures for foreigners and overseas entrants will be strengthened to prevent the spread of variant viruses.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held a meeting on the 16th with Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and relevant local governments to prepare these special quarantine measures for the metropolitan area. Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team, said at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "Controlling the epidemic in the metropolitan area is a key task to reduce the nationwide spread of COVID-19. To suppress the resurgence of the third wave, it is necessary to keep the number of patients in the metropolitan area at around 200." He added, "Central government agencies, Seoul City, and Gyeonggi Province will cooperate to strengthen quarantine management for foreign workers in two or three layers, and for multi-use facilities in the metropolitan area, on-site inspections will be intensified, and businesses violating quarantine rules will be strictly punished."

Recently, the daily average number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea has stagnated at around 400, with the metropolitan area accounting for 70-80% of all confirmed cases. Among these, cluster infections account for 30-40%, mainly occurring in workplaces, multi-use facilities, and medical institutions. Notably, 23% of cluster infections are due to symptomatic individuals visiting facilities, highlighting the need to prevent infection spread by restricting symptomatic individuals from using multi-use facilities.

On the last day of the holiday, the 1st, citizens visiting The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, are enjoying shopping. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Focused Management of 30 Crowded Facilities in Seoul... Gyeonggi Province Focuses on Blocking Workplace Cluster Infections

According to the special quarantine measures announced that day, Seoul City will designate 30 crowded facilities such as parks and amusement facilities frequently visited by citizens in spring, department stores, and shopping malls from the 17th to the 31st, and conduct administrative guidance to ensure compliance with quarantine rules for focused management. Additionally, based on analysis of reports of quarantine violations at multi-use facilities, on-site inspections will be conducted twice a week at 441 suspicious businesses with repeated reports. Immediate administrative actions will be taken if violations occur.

Management of foreign workers will also be strengthened. This reflects the recent situation where a significant portion of cluster infections occur in workplaces with a high proportion of migrant workers. In fact, the proportion of confirmed foreign cases has surged recently. The proportion of foreign confirmed cases rose sharply from around 7% in early February to 14.4% in the first week of March. However, it slightly decreased to 11.7% last week (7th to 13th).

Until the 31st, an administrative order for COVID-19 diagnostic testing for foreign workers will be enforced in Seoul. Foreign workers and employers hiring at least one foreign worker must visit nearby temporary screening clinics for testing. Failure to comply with the administrative order will result in fines and other administrative penalties. To facilitate testing, mobile screening clinics will be expanded to handle up to 3,600 tests per day.

Gyeonggi Province will focus on blocking cluster infections in workplaces. From the 22nd of this month to the 30th of next month, an administrative order requiring diagnostic testing before hiring foreign workers will be enforced. Only foreign workers confirmed negative through testing can be newly hired. Non-compliance will result in fines and administrative penalties.

In addition, proactive testing for multi-use facilities in the metropolitan area will be strengthened. Seoul has conducted proactive testing at 445 out of 820 bathhouse businesses in the city and is expanding the testing targets. Gyeonggi Province has mandated the use of electronic entry logs for bathhouse visitors to facilitate rapid epidemiological investigations. Furthermore, biweekly proactive testing will be conducted for workers at facilities at risk of cluster infections, such as daycare centers, kindergartens, postpartum care centers, sports facilities, and construction sites.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Can the Goal of Reducing Confirmed Cases to the 200s Within Two Weeks Be Achieved?

Through these measures, the authorities plan to reduce the number of confirmed cases to the 200s by the end of next week. Yoon said, "Currently, cluster outbreaks account for about 40%, and infections from person-to-person contact are occurring at a corresponding level." He added, "The most important part of the policy approach is how to manage symptomatic individuals. Symptomatic individuals can cause cluster infections but also small-scale infections through personal contact. Managing symptomatic individuals, especially encouraging them to get tested promptly when symptoms appear to block further transmission, is a key intervention point."

Yoon continued, "For relatively large-scale cluster infections such as bathhouse businesses, proactive testing will be conducted to detect patients early and isolate them to prevent further transmission." He emphasized, "While it may be quite difficult to reduce the number of patients drastically to double digits, the important recognition of this measure is to manage the number at a much lower level than the current one, around the 200s, within two weeks."

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "Specific quarantine rules will be established in consultation with each district, considering the characteristics of the facility's industry. For excessively crowded store-type facilities, measures such as distancing while lining up will be emphasized. For risks of infection through conversations among many employees in break rooms, rules such as wearing masks, prohibiting conversations, and maintaining distance in break rooms will be emphasized. These rules will be developed together by facility type and district."

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