DUI accidents up 24% amid pandemic

By Jun Ji-hye

The number of traffic accidents and casualties caused by drunk driving nationwide has begun rising after police stopped breathalyzer tests in their crackdown on drunk drivers due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, according to officials Monday.

This has led police to develop a new contactless device to detect drunk driving without breathalyzing drivers.

In a bid to improve the crackdown on drunk drivers, police began a week-long trial of the device, Monday, and will use it for random roadside sobriety tests nationwide.

Police stopped using breathalyzers Jan. 28. and instead have selectively checked those suspected of drunk driving.

As a result, drunk driving accidents and casualties have increased by 24.4 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, during January-March from last year.

Police said they have taken the increase seriously, considering that many people have been working from home and have been asked to refrain from drinking outside.

The new device will be held about 30 centimeters away from drivers and measure their breath for five seconds, police said, noting that the device would issue a warning sound when alcohol is detected.

“We will put disposable covers on the devices and disinfect their rods frequently to prevent respiratory droplets,” a National Police Agency official said.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Monday that it had detected 13 more infections and that there had been two more deaths, Sunday, bringing the nation's total cases to 10,674 and the death toll to 236.

The daily number of new cases had fallen to a single digit for the first time in about 60 days with eight on Saturday, but the number rose again slightly to double digits.

In Busan, a daughter and father tested positive for the virus, provoking concern among residents in the southern port city.

The daughter is a Busan Medical Center nurse who has cared for COVID-19 patients, while her father is an administrative employee at a high school in the city. Health authorities confirmed that the father had attended Easter service at a local church.

Following confirmation of their infections, a hospital ward, school and church have been closed, while hundreds of people ― including medical staff, teachers and church members ― have quarantined themselves.

The Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital has also been temporarily closed after four medical staff showed symptoms associated with the coronavirus, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong told a press briefing, “The entire medical staff there, including the four, have gone through coronavirus tests, and some are being rechecked.”

Meanwhile, the government has ordered the deportation of seven foreigners ― including three Vietnamese students ― who went outside without permission despite being under two-week self-isolation, according to the Ministry of Justice.