Gyeonggi Province Implements "Preventive Cohort Quarantine" at Facilities for Elderly and Disabled

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is implementing "preventive cohort quarantine" at medical and residential facilities housing concentrated populations of elderly and disabled persons as a preemptive protective measure for vulnerable groups susceptible to infectious disease.

The province announced on the 1st that it will conduct "preventive cohort quarantine" for two weeks at 1,824 facilities including elderly care facilities, elderly welfare facilities, disabled residences, elderly care hospitals, mental health care facilities, and mental health care institutions.

Cohort quarantine generally refers to a measure that completely seals off institutions where confirmed cases have occurred to prevent infectious disease. However, the province has instead implemented a preventive measure that quarantines vulnerable facilities without confirmed cases to protect them from external infection inflow for a certain period.

This measure by Gyeonggi Province is based on the judgment that preemptive protection is necessary for residential and medical facilities housing elderly persons with particularly high risk of group infection.

With confirmed COVID-19 cases surging rapidly to over 3,500 as of noon that day, deaths are occurring among elderly and other vulnerable groups. Additionally, instances of group infection from external infection sources have occurred repeatedly at facilities such as the Daegu Danam Hospital psychiatric ward, Busan Asia Park Nursing Hospital, Chilgok Severe Disability Facility, and Seoul Jongno Senior Welfare Center.

In particular, with the province conducting comprehensive investigations of Shincheonji church members, numerous symptomatic cases are being confirmed, raising concerns about community infection spread.

Facilities entering preventive cohort quarantine will, under the judgment of facility directors and hospital administrators, have both essential staff and residents providing continued services isolate completely from the outside world with external contact.
Visits from family members and external visitors are completely prohibited, and external items must be disinfected before being brought in.

The province plans to compensate facilities implementing "preventive cohort quarantine" for losses incurred due to isolation, including overtime pay for staff, food and snack expenses, and more.
Additionally, the province will continue to inspect compliance by each facility and will encourage facilities not participating to enter cohort quarantine. When necessary, it plans to extend the quarantine period and add additional target facilities.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung stated, "Based on the principle that overresponse is better than delayed response in cases of infectious disease, we are implementing preventive cohort quarantine," and added, "It is heartbreaking to ask people to endure the difficult situation of quarantine, but I hope we can overcome this difficult time together through mutual encouragement and support."

Meanwhile, facilities unable to immediately implement preventive cohort quarantine have been requested, as a temporary measure until entering cohort quarantine, to completely prohibit external visits under facility director responsibility and require staff to self-isolate outside of work hours.