If You Ate or Talked for 15 Minutes with a Confirmed Classmate at School, You Will Be Subject to Contact Tracing

From the New Semester, Schools Conduct Their Own COVID-19 Case Investigations... 3 Criteria for Contact Tracing
Same Space (Classroom), Eating Together, Conversations Over 15 Minutes Without Masks
Wear Health Masks (KF80 or Higher) and Check Masks When Attending School
Unvaccinated Individuals Must Stay Home for 7 Days Even if Household Members Are Close Contacts

As the government decided to reinforce social distancing measures, it was announced on the 17th that from the 20th, all schools in the metropolitan area and large schools and overcrowded classes in non-metropolitan areas will suspend full in-person attendance. Students are seen going to school near an elementary school in Seoul on the 17th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Starting from the new semester, if a confirmed COVID-19 case is identified at school, students who are in the same class or have eaten in close proximity, or who have conversed without wearing masks for more than 15 minutes, will be subject to contact tracing investigation.

In the "COVID-19 Infection Prevention Management Guide for Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, High, and Special Schools, 6th Edition" for the first semester of the 2022 academic year, announced by the Ministry of Education on the 10th, criteria for schools to conduct their own contact investigations are specified.

The first reference criterion for contact tracing is students or staff living in the same space, such as members of the same class, dormitory roommates in the same room, or colleagues in the same office department.

Those who have eaten with a confirmed case from two days before the onset of symptoms or specimen collection date are also subject to contact tracing. In the cafeteria, all seats in front and up to three seats to the left and right are included in the investigation.

Contact tracing criteria also include cases where there was contact involving conversation without wearing a mask for 15 minutes or more from two days before the confirmed case’s symptom onset or specimen collection date.

The Ministry of Education stated that these criteria can be flexibly applied considering the school’s circumstances, and if it is difficult to confirm contact, the specific scope can be set according to the school’s conditions.

Regarding attendance criteria for confirmed cases, confirmed individuals must quarantine for 7 days regardless of vaccination status. For close contacts, vaccinated individuals can attend school under passive monitoring, but unvaccinated individuals must refrain from attending school for 7 days.

If a household member is a confirmed case, vaccinated individuals undergo passive monitoring, while unvaccinated individuals must quarantine for 7 days. If a household member is a close contact, both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals can attend school without quarantine.

From the new semester, students must wear health masks (KF80 or higher), and schools will check masks upon attendance. Previously, droplet-blocking masks were allowed, but from the new semester, only those who have difficulty wearing health masks due to respiratory diseases or other reasons may wear other masks.

Classroom windows should be kept open at all times, and gyms should avoid classes with two or more classes combined. In the brushing rooms, the number of simultaneous users cannot exceed the number of brushing facilities.

Dormitory students must undergo rapid antigen testing at home, designated medical institutions, or screening clinics before moving in. They must also conduct rapid antigen tests at least once a week during weekdays and undergo temperature checks twice daily.

The Ministry of Education will also enhance the self-diagnosis app by adding questions to identify household members undergoing home treatment when a confirmed case occurs. The revamped self-diagnosis app will be available from February 21.

On the previous day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "It is true that the workload at schools is increasing, but we will not place full responsibility on schools. Since the school’s own contact tracing is not a legal investigation but an alternative due to limitations of the previous method, schools will not be held legally responsible for the investigation process or results."

On the 7th, the Ministry of Education announced the new semester academic operation and quarantine system, setting attendance criteria based on the status of confirmed and quarantined individuals by school and requiring schools to conduct their own investigations when confirmed cases occur. To maintain normal attendance as before COVID-19, the proportion of new confirmed cases among enrolled students must not exceed 3%, and the proportion of attendance suspension (confirmed and quarantined) must not exceed 15%. If either condition is not met, full attendance plus restrictions on (non-)curricular activities will be implemented; if both conditions are exceeded, partial attendance will be applied.

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