The Korean government has codified the criteria and procedures for cohort isolation implemented during infectious disease outbreaks. Cohort isolation will be permitted only for individuals infected with the same pathogen or exposed at the same level, while oversight by local governments and expert consultation procedures will be made mandatory to minimize infringement on basic rights during quarantine measures.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that the revised enforcement decree of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act containing these provisions took effect on Thursday.
Cohort isolation is a measure that quarantines infectious disease patients or suspected cases together in the same space. The practice was widely implemented at nursing hospitals and facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but faced controversy over excessive isolation and human rights violations. The revision aims to clearly define the legality and procedures of cohort isolation.
Under the revised decree, cohort isolation can be implemented only for "patients infected with the same infectious disease pathogen at the same level" or "suspected cases exposed at the same level." It is permitted only on a limited basis when individual isolation is difficult due to a shortage of single-occupancy isolation rooms.
The procedures have also been specified. When medical professionals or heads of medical institutions determine that the initiation or termination of cohort isolation is necessary, they must immediately report this to the head of the jurisdictional public health center. The health center head then reports to the local government head, who decides whether to implement cohort isolation and notifies the KDCA commissioner and public health centers. The duration of cohort isolation is defined as the period from when the grounds for isolation arise until they are resolved.
The government has also established expert consultation procedures to review the necessity and legality of cohort isolation. Mayors and district heads may operate advisory bodies composed of infectious disease experts and can seek their opinions during the implementation and termination of cohort isolation.
In addition, reporting, notification, and communication procedures for implementing and terminating cohort isolation can be handled through information systems. The KDCA explained that this institutional improvement is linked to strengthening human rights protection in the infectious disease response process. Isolation notices will be issued to those subject to cohort isolation and their guardians, and certificates confirming the termination of isolation will also be provided upon request after isolation ends.
"Through this revision, the principles and procedures of cohort isolation have been more clearly defined," KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said. "We expect to establish an infectious disease response system that protects public health while minimizing infringement on basic rights."
