Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Gov't to implement virus preventive measures in crammed immigration detention centers
The entrance to the Hwaseong Immigration Processing Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province / Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
By Lee Hyo-jin
The government will implement COVID-19 preventive measures at immigration detention processing centers nationwide where foreign nationals facing deportation are held, according to the health authorities and the Ministry of Justice.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced, Monday, a set of measures drawn up by the ministry for effective control and prevention of the spread of the coronavirus in the densely packed facilities.
In order to resolve overcrowding issues, the ministry will speed up the deportation procedure for people detained in them in cooperation with the relevant governmental bodies.
Also, a “Voluntary departure deposit system” will be enacted from Jan. 21 to encourage the voluntary departure of foreign nationals who have overstayed their visa and subject to deportation without detention.
Under the system, foreigners facing deportation can leave the country voluntarily if they submit a payment of up to 20 million won ($18,200) to “guarantee” their departure. Those who depart within the period will have their deposit money returned. The deposits of those who fail to leave within the period will be retained by the state.
The exact deposit amount will be decided on case-by-case.
In addition, vulnerable groups among the foreigners at the facilities, such as the elderly and those with medical conditions, may be granted temporary release if a detainee's relatives or acquaintances here can vouch for their identity.
New detainees will be placed in isolation for seven days in a separate facility and undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test for COVID-19. They will be moved to detention centers only after a confirmed negative result.
The ministry noted that the strengthened antivirus measures will be applied not only to the processing centers but also to immigration offices and immigration service call centers.
The health authorities confirmed that no virus cases have been reported at any detention processing centers to date.
“We conducted a massive testing campaign on Jan. 4 of all people held in 18 centers nationwide, and all of them tested negative,” Sohn Young-rae, a senior health official, said at a briefing, Sunday.
He added that further mass testing was conducted on Jan. 6 among employees in the facilities, through which 797 were confirmed negative with another 110 awaiting results.
Meanwhile, according to the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 451 daily new cases for Sunday, the lowest figure in 41 days, bringing the total caseload to 69,114. Among the new cases, 419 were local transmissions.