--- description: The country is in the midst of the worst outbreak ever seen outside of Saudi Arabia title: Prison for South Korean MERS Patients Who Break Quarantine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt425d4f48050af1b6/6988589b8e0601314e4612dc/south-korea-mers-quarantine.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Disease](/tag/disease/) ## Disease Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # South Korea Authorizes Prison Time for MERS Patients Who Break Quarantine by [Eric Dodds](/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2015 6:31 PM CUT  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. 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 by [Eric Dodds](/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2015 6:31 PM CUT South Korea [tightened](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/world/asia/after-mers-south-korea-authorizes-prison-for-quarantine-scofflaws.html "undefined") 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 Images  A student has her temperature taken by a teacher outside the Sungshin elementary school in Seoul on June 8, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images  A woman wearing a mask walks out from a clothing shop at Myeongdong shopping district in central Seoul on June 11, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters  A 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 Images  A couple wearing face masks walk on a street in Seoul on June 9, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images  A 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 Images  A woman wearing a face mask sleeps on a bench in Yeouido park in Seoul on June 7, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images  A woman wearing a mask stands in front of the stairs at an underground passageway in central Seoul on June 12, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters  A couple wearing masks looks at each other as they ride on an escalator in Seoul on June 11, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters  A woman wearing a mask takes a nap as she rides a subway train in Seoul on June 12, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters \[[_New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/world/asia/after-mers-south-korea-authorizes-prison-for-quarantine-scofflaws.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3938212/south-korea-mers-quarantine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3938212/south-korea-mers-quarantine/"},"headline":"South Korea Authorizes Prison Time for MERS Patients Who Break Quarantine","datePublished":"2015-06-26T18:31:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:45.822Z","description":"The country is in the midst of the worst outbreak ever seen outside of Saudi Arabia","url":"https://time.com/3938212/south-korea-mers-quarantine/","keywords":["Disease","global health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt425d4f48050af1b6/6988589b8e0601314e4612dc/south-korea-mers-quarantine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt425d4f48050af1b6/6988589b8e0601314e4612dc/south-korea-mers-quarantine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"south-korea-mers-quarantine","caption":"Quarantine tent in Seoul, South Korea","creditText":"Chung Sung-Jun—2015 Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/disease/","name":"Disease"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3938212/south-korea-mers-quarantine/","name":"South Korea Authorizes Prison Time for MERS Patients Who Break Quarantine"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"MERS: What You Need to Know","description":"MERS is a respiratory virus that is in the same family as the common cold and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). 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