[Newsmaker] No free treatment for incoming foreigners with COVID-19 who violate rules

Foreigners who test positive for the new coronavirus upon entering South Korea will have to pay for their own treatment if they violate the country’s disease prevention guidelines.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that should foreigners who are diagnosed during quarantine or isolation violate the disease control guidelines, they will have to pay all their own medical fees.

The new measure went into effect Sunday at midnight, following the recent revision of the law on infectious disease prevention. The changes specify how to deal with foreigners with infectious diseases.

To prevent further damage from the pandemic, the government pays for COVID-19 tests and treatment for foreigners who test positive. It does not pay for their accommodation during isolation.

Several foreigners who carried the coronavirus into Korea have violated health authorities’ isolation orders or rigged their results on polymerase chain reaction tests.

These incidents led to the recent changes.

Separately, from Aug. 24, foreigners entering Korea who test positive for the virus will have to pay more for their medical treatment, based on the principle of reciprocity.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)