Court approves arrest warrant for man over violation of self-isolation rules

UIJEONGBU, South Korea, April 18 (Yonhap) -- A local court issued an arrest warrant for a 27-year-old man who allegedly violated self-isolation rules related to the new coronavirus, citing possible flight risk.

It was the second formal detention of people who breached self-isolation rules, following a case involving a 68-year-old man in eastern Seoul earlier this week.

The Uijeongbu District Court approved police's request to arrest the man who went outside without permission while under self-quarantine.

Health authorities ordered him to stay at home for two weeks in early April after he was discharged from Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, where cluster COVID-19 infections were reported. He was hospitalized for treatment of pancreatitis.

He left home Tuesday, two days before the end of the 14-day quarantine. Police arrested him Thursday and sent him to a temporary facility for isolation. But he violated quarantine rules again and was arrested later at a nearby mountain.

The man was quoted as telling police that he was under stress due to the self-isolation. He tested negative for the virus.

South Korea has been sternly dealing with people who breach self-isolation rules due to concerns that the violation could cause community infections.

A man in his 60s was arrested on Tuesday for violating quarantine guidelines, the first formal detention of an alleged quarantine offender. The man, who arrived from the United States, visited a spa and a restaurant though he was under self-isolation.

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