Despite the End of Social Distancing... Frontline Hospitals Remain 'Cautious'

Negative pressure isolation ward stock photo.

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Although all social distancing measures except for mask-wearing were lifted starting from the 18th, hospitals on the front lines of healthcare are taking a cautious approach to easing quarantine measures. To prevent the spread within wards, major tertiary hospitals plan to maintain existing methods such as questionnaire completion and guardian testing for the time being.

According to the medical community on the 19th, despite the lifting of social distancing, major tertiary hospitals in Seoul are maintaining access control. Seoul Asan Medical Center continues to conduct COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for resident guardians, require visitors to complete questionnaires and issue access passes, and perform fever checks. Strict distancing guidelines, such as prohibiting visits to high-risk multi-use facilities, are still applied to internal staff including medical personnel.

Samsung Medical Center will maintain access control measures such as QR check-in and fever screening for at least about two weeks. It is known that Samsung Medical Center has revised its internal quarantine guidelines with a time lag each time the government announced easing of distancing measures. Seoul National University Hospital has lifted all access controls for outpatients, including QR check-in, questionnaire completion, and fever checks. However, COVID-19 testing for inpatients in wards and their guardians or caregivers continues.

Tertiary hospitals are reportedly discussing applying eased access controls primarily to outpatients, even if some relaxation occurs following the lifting of social distancing. This is based on the judgment that, given the characteristics of tertiary hospitals with many immunocompromised patients such as cancer patients, in-hospital infections could lead to severe cases. A hospital official said, "Just because social distancing has been lifted does not mean that quarantine measures within hospitals will be immediately relaxed," adding, "We expect that quarantine guidelines for staff will be maintained for the time being."

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