Too early to consider lifting self-isolation rule: experts

People stand in line to be tested for COVID-19 at a screening center in Seocho District, Seoul, June 17. Yonhap

Gov't decides to extend quarantine mandate for 4 more weeks

By Lee Hyo-jin

The government has decided to extend the self-isolation mandate for COVID-19 patients for another four weeks, but medical experts pointed out that it is premature to remove the restriction next month.

The Central Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters said Friday the seven-day self-quarantine mandate for COVID-19 virus carriers will be extended through July 20, due to concerns over a possible resurgence of infections if the rule is removed.

The decision came as the government has been reviewing the possibility of scrapping the self-quarantine rule over the past two months. After downgrading the infectious disease classification of the coronavirus to Level 2 in late April, the health ministry said it will decide whether to ease the self-isolation rule on May 20, after a four-week interim period. But the plan was delayed for another four weeks due to the unstable virus situation.

Announcing its latest decision, the Korea Disease Control and Prevent Agency (KDCA) warned that scrapping the quarantine rule could cause the number of infection cases to surge in late August at up to 8.3 times levels while under existing rules.

The KDCA noted that it will reassess the virus situation after four weeks, based on several criteria, such as the number of deaths, fatality rate, emergence of new variants and the government's medical response capability.

Medical experts, however, viewed that the country may not be ready to lift the self-isolation mandate even after another four weeks.

The experts urged that, rather than engaging in what they called "premature" discussions on lifting the quarantine mandate, the government's top priority should be the improvement of the pandemic response scheme so that every COVID-19 patient can receive face-to-face treatment.

"The best way to bring down the number of COVID-19 deaths is the provision of face-to-face medical care, which should ensure timely diagnosis and treatment. "Discussions on whether to scrap the self-quarantine rules should come after establishing such a system," said Chon Eun-mi, a professor of respiratory diseases at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.

A notice attached at a local clinic in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, reads that COVID-19 patients can receive face-to-face treatment from April 4. Yonhap

Currently, there are some 4,000 medical institutions offering face-to-face treatments to COVID-19 patients. The health authorities plan to increase the number of such hospitals to 5,000 by July.

Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, expressed even more negative views. He believed that lifting the self-isolation rule is "unscientific" and is in contravention of the Infectious Disease Prevention Act.

"The coronavirus remains infectious for 7 to 10 days after symptoms appear. It is a scientific practice to keep patients isolated regardless of the fatality rate of the virus," he said, stressing that the Omicron variant still remains highly contagious despite its relatively low fatality rate.

"In addition, by law, people who test positive for infectious diseases classified as Level 2 must self-isolate for a designated period of time. It does not seem appropriate for the government to bend the rules," Kim added.

Meanwhile, the KDCA reported 6,701 infections for Saturday, with the number of infections staying below 10,000 for 10 consecutive days. The number of critically-ill patients stood at 70, with 14 new COVID-19-related deaths, raising the death toll to 24,441.

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