Eun-kyung Jung, Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Newsis
On the 24th, Congressman Yoon Hee-sook, referring to a recent paper published by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raised the question, “What happened to the quarantine decision process?”
In an article posted on Facebook that day, Rep. Yoon said, “It is only now known that the quarantine officer insisted on turning the quarantine policy from academic papers to school classes.”
The paper he discussed was published in the Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases with the research team of Hallym University Medical School on the 27th of last month. Rep. Yoon introduced the thesis, saying, “As is well known in other countries, there are only a few cases of school infection in Korea. Therefore, as the advantage of school closure is small, it is argued that the direction of quarantine should be turned to school classes.
Rep. Yoon pointed out, “The paper that has become a hot topic this time has a different level of seriousness as it shows a defect in the quarantine policy decision structure itself.”
He said, “As you know, how much priority should be given to guaranteeing children’s educational opportunities is one of the most difficult and important decisions of the quarantine policy,” he said. “The problem is that the Korean people have addressed these key issues through academic papers, He added, “I was in contact with it.”
“The fact that the thesis was received at the end of October means that the results of data analysis came out long before that. Then, in the second half of last year, whether to publicize these results widely to seek wisdom, expand classes, or, if not, what concerns? “We should have informed the people of the basis of the decision and sought understanding.”
In addition, “It is hard to think that the quarantine officer would have argued only in academic journals without giving such opinions in the policy-making process,” he said. I don’t understand if it wasn’t.”
Rep. Yoon said, “In the process of establishing quarantine countermeasures, what kind of opinion Chief Chung expressed about the expansion of school classes, and the grounds for which it was dismissed, the authorities will have to reveal carefully. And the students,” he stressed.
Reporter Eunbin Kim [email protected]