[Initial Perspective] Confusion from Delayed Quarantine Policies Falls on the People

On the 13th, an employee at a pharmacy in Jongno, Seoul, is posting a notice regarding the purchase of COVID-19 self-test kits. According to distribution improvement measures, online sales of self-test kits are prohibited from this day until March 5, and individuals are limited to purchasing up to five kits at a time from pharmacies and convenience stores. However, there is no restriction on purchasing multiple times a day, and online stock can be sold until the 16th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

"We will seriously consider the possibility of transitioning to a routine quarantine and medical system similar to seasonal influenza."

On the 4th, a statement by a quarantine authority official was widely interpreted by the public as a message that the Omicron variant is relatively less dangerous than the original COVID-19, and thus quarantine measures could soon be eased. However, as misunderstandings and speculation spread online, rumors that the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) had officially recognized COVID-19 as a common cold circulated, prompting the agency to hastily clarify that "this is not an official position."

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has exceeded 50,000 for six consecutive days. Although this was a foreseeable situation given the spread of Omicron in other countries, the authorities’ response seems more confused than during the early stages of the pandemic.

The confusion intensified after the introduction of a new home treatment management system on the 10th, focusing only on high-risk groups aged 60 and above. Initially, the authorities defined the intensive home treatment group as "those aged 60 and above and those prescribed oral antiviral drugs," but on the morning of the 9th, the day before implementation, they revised it to "those prescribed oral antiviral drugs who require intensive management," only to revert to the original criteria that evening.

On the 11th, regarding telephone consultation fees for the general home treatment group, the authorities first stated that consultations were "free only once a day," then reversed the statement within a few hours to say "consultations are free twice a day." When criticized with terms like "neglect at home" and "every man for himself" regarding the new system encouraging patients to manage their own health, the authorities responded that such expressions are "not appropriate for the current situation."

That is not all. Due to insufficient stockpiles of self-test kits, the transition to a rapid antigen testing system caused citizens to scramble from pharmacy to pharmacy to buy test kits, and now online purchases have been blocked altogether under the pretext of stabilizing distribution. Although the government promised to apply health insurance coverage to COVID-19 PCR tests for caregivers and guardians of hospitalized patients, reducing the cost burden to a maximum of 4,000 won, this will only be possible starting from the 21st. Families of hospitalized patients have had to bear the full cost of 80,000 to 100,000 won per test for nearly three weeks since the testing system changed on the 3rd.

It is hard to avoid criticism that the government’s quarantine policy is haphazard. There are also criticisms that ministry officials are more concerned about pleasing superiors ahead of elections, resulting in insufficiently thorough policies, and that the government is toying with easing social distancing measures to gain votes.

A few days ago, Ryu Geun-hyeok, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, who tested positive for COVID-19, detailed his home treatment experience on Facebook, writing that "not only telephone consultations and prescriptions but also the medication delivery process felt smoothly managed on the ground." His effort to share the experience of confirmed patients and inform the public about the rapidly changing quarantine system as the person responsible for national health affairs is commendable. However, the public still feels uncomfortable and anxious. Please also take note of comments such as "The real problem is that ordinary citizens are left to fend for themselves for days after testing positive, while only high-ranking officials receive prompt on-site care and medication."

/Biohealth Department Deputy Director ikjo@

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