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| A passenger arriving from Germany enters into a government-designated quarantine facility in Gwangju, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The number of Coronavirus infections is fast approaching 10,000 as cluster outbreaks and imported cases continue to increase, health authorities said Tuesday.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 125 new infections were confirmed Monday, bringing the nation's total to 9,786. Among them, 29 cases were detected at immigration quarantine checkpoints, bringing the total number of the imported cases to 518. Of the newly reported, 60 were in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, following mass infections at a hospital. The death toll rose by four to 162.
In Seoul, 24 additional cases were detected after more confirmed cases were reported at a church. Gyeonggi Province reported 13 new infections, while Incheon, west of Seoul, recorded six new cases.
The government plans to enforce a two-week mandatory self-quarantine measure to all passengers arriving from abroad starting Wednesday in order to effectively contain the imported cases. Passengers without local addresses are to stay in government-designated facilities at their own expense.
In regard to the continuous concerns over community infections due to imported cases, President Moon Jae-in called for strict legal measures against those who violate the quarantine rules.
"To protect our citizens and secure the public safety, we need strict legal measures for those who do not follow the rules," Moon said during a weekly Cabinet meeting.
He said the country still has a long way to go before reaching a status of stabilization, so containing imported cases is a key factor to mitigate further spread here.
"A small hole will break a dam. At the time that all citizens endeavor to ensure the safety of the community at the expense of their inconveniences such as following social distancing rules, there should be no single person rendering everyone's efforts useless," he added.
As a part of the strict legal measures coming into force, Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government said it has filed a lawsuit against two travelers who tested positive to COVID-19 after a five-day trip to the island. The lawsuit has sought compensation for a total of 20 local businesses who were forced to temporarily shut down as a result of the two Korean visitors ― a student returning from college in the United States and her mother ― and that 97 people had been placed under quarantine after coming into contact with them.
Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong said the Jeju provincial government is likely to seek 132 million ($108,370) won in damages from the student and her mother. The provincial government is also considering filing a separate criminal lawsuit against the student for violating Korea's laws on prevention of infectious diseases.
