[Coronavirus] Medical association denounces complacent government attitude

By Lim Chang-won Posted : March 30, 2020, 09:29 Updated : March 30, 2020, 09:29

A file picture shows quarantine officials conducting a virus chek at Incheon International Airport.[Yonhap News Photo]

SEOUL -- South Korea's medical community warned of "devastating" consequences in a novel coronavirus epidemic, denouncing a complacent government attitude in screening passengers at airports, as public anxiety and grievances grew over the lax enforcement of rules for those who self-quarantined.

Foreigners should be banned from entering for a short period of time, the Korean Medical Association said in a statement, citing China's strict restrictions. The association suggested all Korean arrivals should also be strictly examined and quarantined.

From April 1, South Korea will enforce a two-week mandatory quarantine for all entrants from overseas, but the medical association argued that the government takes things easy. "Our medical institutions and medical staff are currently overloaded. If they fail to function properly due to a burn-out and make it difficult to handle the COVID-19, the consequences will be devastating."

The epidemic showed signs of subsiding from its peak in mid-February, but Incheon International Airport, South Korea's gateway west of Seoul, has become a new hotbed of infections. Nearly 40 percent of new infections have been directly and indirectly related to those coming from abroad.

"Temporary entry restrictions are necessary not only to reduce the spread of infections but also to reduce the burn-out of many personnel, including medical staff, who are being put into quarantine, disinfection, diagnosis and treatment," the medical association said.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun warned of "no-tolerance" for those who violate self-isolation rules. However, there has been no strong punishment, raising pub jitters at rule violators.

All visitors from Europe and the United States should be examined at airports, Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious medicine at Korea University Hospital in Seoul's Kuro district, calling for the strict enforcement of quarantine rules and firm punishment against violators.
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