"No Place to Ask for Help, What Should I Do?"... 'Self-Quarantine' Reveals Financial Hardship of Single-Person Households

Over 100,000 Confirmed Cases... The 'Self-Quarantine' Era Approaches
Self-Monitoring for Epidemiological Investigations and Home Treatment
Single-Person Households Without State Support Particularly Vulnerable
7 Out of 10 Are Low-Income in the Bottom 40% Income Bracket
No One to Seek Help From, Burdened by Preparing 'Home Treatment Kits'
Experts: "Government and Communities Must Work Together"
"Need to Build Close-Knit Communities That Single-Person Households Can Rely On"

On the morning of the 3rd, when the COVID-19 testing and treatment system was completely overhauled to respond to the spread of Omicron, citizens were conducting tests using self-diagnostic kits at a rapid antigen testing site set up at the screening clinic of Gwangjin-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] As the daily number of COVID-19 cases explodes, the government has shifted to a quarantine system suitable for a pandemic situation. From self-reporting epidemiological investigations to home treatment, it is truly the era of 'self-quarantine.' However, concerns have arisen that single-person households may become the 'weak link' in the new quarantine system. These individuals find it difficult to seek help if their health suddenly deteriorates, and since most single-person households in Korea are low-income, even purchasing self-treatment kits is a heavy burden.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 21st, the number of new COVID-19 cases was 95,362, approaching 100,000 daily despite a decrease in specimen tests due to the weekend effect. The number of critically ill patients increased by 41 from the previous day to 480, indicating a gradual worsening of quarantine indicators.

Earlier, the government made major revisions to its quarantine policy in preparation for the full-scale spread of the Omicron variant. Previously, the response to infectious diseases centered on the so-called '3T strategy' of testing, tracing, and treatment, with patients receiving necessary care at medical institutions. However, since the 9th, the system has shifted to home treatment. This was to respond to Omicron, which is known to spread much faster than previous coronaviruses but has a lower fatality rate.

As the number of COVID-19 cases rapidly increases, the number of patients receiving home treatment is also exploding, reaching 469,384 as of midnight on the 21st.

Given this situation, the government is responding by dividing home treatment patients into a 'focused management group,' who are monitored twice daily, and a 'general management group,' who contact medical institutions themselves for necessary prescription consultations.

On the morning of the 11th, employees are working at the Comprehensive Situation Room of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Gwangjin-gu Office, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

However, concerns have been raised that this new quarantine system may be vulnerable for single-person households. People living alone have lower social and economic coping abilities compared to other households when infected with COVID-19 and entering self-isolation.

In particular, they express that if their infectious disease symptoms suddenly worsen, there is no one to ask for help.

A in their 20s, an office worker currently living alone in the Seoul metropolitan area after leaving their family home in the provinces, said, "My friends live far away, and I don't interact much with neighbors because of busy work. If something happens to me, there is nowhere to ask for help. I thought it would be a big problem if I got confirmed in this state and had to self-isolate but suddenly became severely ill." They added, "I never paid attention to this before, but I realized how vulnerable I am to unexpected situations."

Purchasing a 'home treatment kit' containing items necessary for health checks and treatment, such as fever reducers, oxygen saturation meters, monitors, and thermometers, is also a burden. Currently, home treatment kits are only provided to the focused management group, while the general management group must purchase them themselves. The price of a home treatment kit ranges from about 100,000 to 200,000 KRW, which is a significant amount for low-income single-person households.

Even if they can purchase home treatment kits or medicines, delivering them to their homes is not easy. Previously, the Ministry of Health and Welfare signed a business agreement with the Korean Pharmaceutical Association to allow general management group home treatment patients to receive prescriptions from nearby medical institutions and have medicines delivered.

Home Treatment Self-Care Kit Components / Photo by Yonhap News

However, with the explosive increase in home treatment patients, it is now difficult to contact the responsible medical institutions.

Regarding this, Ryu Geun-hyuk, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and entered home treatment on the 11th, admitted in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "I called hospitals to get a prescription, but two places did not answer, so I got a prescription from another place." He added, "Due to the surge in confirmed cases, it is likely that phone connections will be difficult. Most citizens receiving home treatment for the first time must be quite confused and bewildered."

Meanwhile, a tragic case occurred where a patient undergoing home treatment alone suddenly died. On the 19th, a man in his 50s, B, was found dead in his home in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. He had entered home treatment after being diagnosed with COVID-19 the previous day. His family, who were staying separately from him, reported to 119 after losing contact with him, and the 119 emergency team found B deceased at his residence.

Some point out that given the high proportion of low-income individuals among domestic single-person households, it is natural that they become the 'weak link' in national disasters such as infectious disease crises.

According to the 'Population and Housing Census' released by Statistics Korea, as of 2020, there were approximately 6.64 million single-person households in Korea, accounting for 31.7% of all households.

According to the Household Income and Expenditure Survey released the same year, the income quintile distribution of single-person households (dividing domestic household income into five quintiles from the lowest 20%) was 42.3% in the first quintile, 29.5% in the second, 17.2% in the third, 6.8% in the fourth, and 4.2% in the fifth, showing a sharp decrease as income rises. In other words, 71.8% of single-person households in Korea are in the lower 40% income bracket, classified as low-income.

This means that 7 out of 10 single-person households experience poverty. If they cannot receive support from the government, there are concerns that unless there is someone nearby to help, they will have to endure significant harm.

Experts emphasize that to support low-income single-person households in crisis situations, not only government assistance but also building strong local communities is important.

Professor Kim Seong-ho of the Department of Social Welfare at Korea Bible University said, "Due to social structure, single-person households will continue to increase rapidly, and it is important to establish social safety nets and welfare benefits for them to respond not only to infectious diseases but also to overall social crises." He explained, "Currently, welfare for single-person households in Korea is mostly applicant-centered, but since most of them are low-income and elderly, the government or local governments should shift to services that can directly monitor and visit them."

He continued, "The vulnerability of single-person households is not only economic but also social. The lack of acquaintances other than family means they cannot receive help in crisis situations, which is also a vulnerability." He suggested, "To prevent such cases, local communities should work together to create 'loose yet intimate local communities' where people can rely on each other anytime, even if they are not family."

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