I talked with my wife at length about why we couldn't have controlled the spread alike S. Korea. She is a healthcare worker also with a Korean background.
I agree with some of the previous posts that public compliance is actually pretty good here now. 99% of people indoor wear masks. Also, many of the superspreader events/places such as private gatherings, gyms, indoor bars/restaurants, etc. are actually not limited in S. Korea. Schools have been mostly open, sometimes at reduced capacity supported with online learning.
So what's really the biggest difference? We think it must be their strict quarantine measures. I found a stat that if you test positive in S. Korea, you must be quarantined in a hospital/medical facility (62%), designated self-isolation accommodation (36%), or at home (2%) until you test negative and/or spend 14 days. This stat was reported back in July. Read that again, if you test positive, basically you must stay at either a hospital/medical facility or an alternative isolation accommodation.
In case you aren't familiar, they also require every person (non-citizen) entering the country to quarantine themselves at designated self-isolation accommodation for 14 days AND you get tested at the end.
Here, if you test positive or enter the country, people are just told to go home and self-isolate... A lot of people could end up sharing the same space as other family members. And I don't really trust that everyone would follow that measure strictly. Also, they don't even get tested at the end to be cleared.
The problem is of course, I think such restrictive measures would not fly with people here, and also we probably don't have enough medical facilities to support all the required quarantines -- maybe it was possible when the numbers were low.
Their contact tracing / testing must have played a significant role as well. But I don't think as significant as the quarantine measures.
I agree with some of the previous posts that public compliance is actually pretty good here now. 99% of people indoor wear masks. Also, many of the superspreader events/places such as private gatherings, gyms, indoor bars/restaurants, etc. are actually not limited in S. Korea. Schools have been mostly open, sometimes at reduced capacity supported with online learning.
So what's really the biggest difference? We think it must be their strict quarantine measures. I found a stat that if you test positive in S. Korea, you must be quarantined in a hospital/medical facility (62%), designated self-isolation accommodation (36%), or at home (2%) until you test negative and/or spend 14 days. This stat was reported back in July. Read that again, if you test positive, basically you must stay at either a hospital/medical facility or an alternative isolation accommodation.
In case you aren't familiar, they also require every person (non-citizen) entering the country to quarantine themselves at designated self-isolation accommodation for 14 days AND you get tested at the end.
Here, if you test positive or enter the country, people are just told to go home and self-isolate... A lot of people could end up sharing the same space as other family members. And I don't really trust that everyone would follow that measure strictly. Also, they don't even get tested at the end to be cleared.
The problem is of course, I think such restrictive measures would not fly with people here, and also we probably don't have enough medical facilities to support all the required quarantines -- maybe it was possible when the numbers were low.
Their contact tracing / testing must have played a significant role as well. But I don't think as significant as the quarantine measures.
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