Face-to-Face Visits Allowed from Next Month 1st When One Side of Long-Term Care Hospital/Facility Residents and Visitors Complete Second Vaccination (Update)

Visitors to facilities with first-dose vaccination rates below 75% must present a negative PCR test result

On the 9th, contact visits to nursing hospitals and nursing facilities, which had been restricted due to the risk of COVID-19 infection, became possible. At Gaeunmyeongwon in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, Lee Yongbeom is visiting his mother, Son Yongchang. Contact visits are allowed only for guardians of patients or residents who are terminally ill, severely ill, or in similar conditions, provided they have tested negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours prior to the visit. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Starting from the 1st of next month, the government will allow in-person (contact) visits at long-term care hospitals and facilities if either the resident or the visitor has completed their second COVID-19 vaccination dose and two weeks have passed since.

At the regular COVID-19 briefing on the 21st, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced, "As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in long-term care hospitals and facilities is decreasing and the quarantine situation is being managed stably, we have decided to allow in-person visits for those who have completed their second vaccination."

Cluster infections in long-term care hospitals and facilities (based on cohort isolation criteria) have decreased from 16 locations in February to 9 in March, and 6 in April. On the 20th, the number further dropped to 3, showing a clear downward trend.

In-person visits will be conducted in single rooms or separate independent spaces by prior reservation, and consumption of food and beverages is prohibited. Hospitalized patients must wear masks and sanitize their hands before the visit.

However, to ensure safe visits, the quarantine conditions such as the vaccination rate of the facility will be considered, and the quarantine guidelines for visitors will be operated with differentiated standards.

If the visitor has completed vaccination regardless of the resident's vaccination status, they may visit wearing a mask (KF94, N95) and after sanitizing their hands.

If the resident has completed vaccination but the visitor has not, mask-wearing and hand sanitizing quarantine rules will still apply. Additionally, if the facility’s first-dose vaccination rate is below 75%, additional measures such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing will be conducted to minimize risks to other residents.

Visitors to facilities with a first-dose vaccination rate of 75% or higher can have in-person visits after wearing masks and sanitizing their hands.

Visitors to facilities with a first-dose vaccination rate below 75% must undergo a negative confirmation procedure through PCR or rapid antigen testing in addition to wearing masks and hand sanitizing before in-person visits.

The vaccination status of visitors will be verified through vaccination certificates (including electronic vaccination certificates) provided by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

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