Arrest of a Quarantine Fugitive

The South Korean government has pledged to impose strict penalties on a Chinese man who was arrested for fleeing and refusing mandatory quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus. South Korean police apprehended the 41-year-old Chinese national at a hotel in Seoul after he escaped from a hotel in Incheon, west of Seoul, rejecting the quarantine imposed on him due to his COVID-19 infection. A senior official from the South Korean Ministry of Interior stated during a government meeting on Friday that the government would punish him severely in accordance with the law and principles. He added that the government would closely monitor the epidemic situation both domestically and abroad and ensure the full implementation of quarantine measures for travelers arriving from overseas. The Chinese national arrived in South Korea through Incheon International Airport, underwent a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival, and tested positive for COVID-19, thus requiring him to be quarantined in a hotel for a week, a temporary facility for incoming patients, but he escaped and was tracked down by the police.