South Korea Authorizes Prison Time for MERS Patients Who Break Quarantine
South Korea Authorizes Prison Time for MERS Patients Who Break Quarantine
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Visitors wearing masks walk in front of a health advisory sign about the MERS virus at a quarantine tent for people who could be infected with the MERS virus at Seoul National University Hospital on June 2 in Seoul, South Korea.Chung Sung-Jun—2015 Getty Images
South Korea tightened quarantine restrictions on patients at risk of being infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus, declaring that those who defy orders or lie about their potential exposure are now subject to prison terms.
Health officials announced that violators could face up to two years in prison and a fine of 20 million won, or approximately $18,000. Currently, defying quarantine can result in a fine but not a jail sentence.
The new law, which grants greater authority to public health investigators, does not take effect for another six months. The latest tally for the disease reached 181 confirmed cases and 31 confirmed deaths since the outbreak began last month.
See South Korea’s Latest Fashion Accessory: Face Masks to Fight MERS
Elementary school students wear masks as a precaution against the MERS virus as they wait for a lesson to start at Midong Elementary School in Seoul on June 9, 2015.Chung Sung-Jun—Getty ImagesA student has her temperature taken by a teacher outside the Sungshin elementary school in Seoul on June 8, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty ImagesA woman wearing a mask walks out from a clothing shop at Myeongdong shopping district in central Seoul on June 11, 2015.Kim Hong-Ji—ReutersA group of students wearing face masks pose for a "selfie" as they sit on a street in the popular student area of Hongdae in Seoul on June 7, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty ImagesA couple wearing face masks walk on a street in Seoul on June 9, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty ImagesA couple wearing face masks walk beneath the Wonhyo bridge, before the northern city skyline, at Yeouido park in Seoul on June 7, 2015.Ed Jones—AFP/Getty ImagesA woman wearing a face mask sleeps on a bench in Yeouido park in Seoul on June 7, 2015.Ed Jones—AFP/Getty ImagesA woman wearing a mask stands in front of the stairs at an underground passageway in central Seoul on June 12, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—ReutersA couple wearing masks looks at each other as they ride on an escalator in Seoul on June 11, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—ReutersA woman wearing a mask takes a nap as she rides a subway train in Seoul on June 12, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters
