A Chinese man in his 40s who refused to be quarantined and fled even after being confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) after entering Korea was arrested in Seoul two days.
Incheon Jungbu Police Station announced on the 5th that it has arrested a 41-year-old Chinese man suspected of violating the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act.
At 12:55 p.m. that day, he was arrested by police who tracked his movements while hiding at a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
At the time of the arrest, A was staying in a hotel room with his Chinese wife. It was confirmed that A's wife was tested negative for COVID-19 at the time of entry.
A is accused of refusing to quarantine following the COVID-19 confirmation and fleeing near a hotel in Yeongjong-do, Jung-gu, Incheon, at 10:04 p.m. on the 3rd.
On the same day, he arrived at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 with his wife on a passenger plane departing from China and was tested positive and was scheduled to be quarantined at the hotel, a temporary living facility, for a week.
The government is implementing measures to strengthen quarantine, including short-term visa restrictions and pre- and post-entry inspections, to prevent the influx of confirmed patients from China, where COVID-19 has recently spread rapidly.
The hotel's closed circuit (CC) TV showed Mr. A running away after getting off the vehicle six minutes after the quarantine bus arrived at the parking lot.
Order maintenance personnel were also deployed at the scene, but they could not prevent A from escaping.
He traveled to a large supermarket about 300 meters away from the hotel and took a taxi to Seoul.
It was found that A booked a hotel room directly on his smartphone in a taxi to Seoul, and called his wife to meet him at the hotel.
A is known to have been infected with COVID-19 for two days while staying at a Seoul hotel.
However, an official at the Jung-gu Health Center in Incheon said, "We are currently focusing on high-risk facilities (unlike the early days of COVID-19)," adding, "We understand that the arrested Chinese did not visit high-risk facilities during the escape period."
Mr. A traveled between China and Korea five times between 2018 and 2019, and at that time, he underwent face plastic surgery at a plastic surgery hospital in Gangnam, Seoul.
When he arrived at Incheon International Airport on the 3rd, he wrote that it was for medical purposes in related documents, but it was confirmed that he did not visit a hospital that had undergone plastic surgery in the past this time.
After being arrested, A was taken to a hotel, a temporary living facility in Yeongjong-do, wearing full-body protective clothing provided by the police.
The reporters said in Chinese, "Why did you run away? What is the purpose of coming to Korea?" he said, but gave no answer.
If A is indicted in Korea and convicted, he will be sentenced to up to one year in prison or fined up to 10 million won. In addition, there is a possibility of being restricted from entering Korea for a certain period of time along with forced departure.
An official from the quarantine authorities said, "We have no plans to directly investigate A," adding, "We are consulting with the Immigration and Foreign Affairs Agency or the Ministry of Health and Welfare on whether to forcibly leave the country or file a criminal complaint."
The police will also decide how and when to investigate Mr. A, who was quarantined in the hotel room, after consulting with the quarantine authorities.
A police official said, "A is a suspect, so we need to investigate, but he is a confirmed patient," adding, "We will be able to additionally check the escape route only after the one-week quarantine period ends."
He added, "We plan to investigate A and send him to the prosecution, but the policy has not been clearly decided yet," adding, "We plan to consult with the quarantine authorities."
