S. Korea to use electronic wristbands on violators of self-isolation rules: PM

SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Saturday it will use electronic wristbands on people who violate self-isolation rules to better contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the country will make self-isolation violators wear electronic wristbands since the number of cases of people breaching the self-quarantine in recent weeks has raised concerns.

"After deep consideration, the government has decided to put electronic wristbands on people who violate self-isolation rules, such as going outside without notice and not answering phone calls," Chung said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Seoul. "We have listened to quarantine experts and gathered opinions from various communities."

In a recent survey of 1,000 adults nationwide, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 80.2 percent of people supported the idea of using electronic wristbands to keep track of those under self-quarantine.

However, some have pointed out that such a measure can be subject to potential human rights violations.

The wristbands would track self-isolators' movements via their mobile phones. The government currently runs a mobile app to monitor people in self-quarantine.

As of Thursday, more than 54,000 people were under self-quarantine. So far, more than 160 people have been caught violating self-isolation rules.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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