A 27-year-old man in South Korea has been sentenced to four months in prison for breaking coronavirus quarantine rules.
It’s the first conviction of its kind in the country.
The man – who has only been identified by his family name, Kim – was asked to self-isolate at home for two weeks after he was discharged from a hospital north of Seoul.
He was caught leaving his house two days before his 14-day quarantine was due to end. He was taken to a residential centre, but was caught once again trying to leave and was arrested for violating the Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention Act.
The country is cracking down on quarantine violators after an outbreak at a series of nightclubs in Seoul’s party district saw sporadic clusters of infections across the country.
The number of daily new infections continue to hover at around 20 per day.
There are more than 33,000 people across the country in self-isolation, most of whom have arrived from overseas. Those who violate quarantine rules are now ordered to wear electronic bracelets to track their movements. There are 17 people currently wearing the devices.
Meanwhile, more than 2.4 million students are due to head back to their classrooms tomorrow as part of a phased return to school.
Health officials fear that further spikes in infection rates may prevent some from re-opening.
BBC
