07 March 2020 – Designated certain hospitals as centres for treatment of cases

Intervention Categories: Planning and strategy
Level of Jurisdiction: National

Overview: The Korean government designated 303 hospitals as “COVID-19 Protection Hospitals”.

These hospitals operate separate in- and outpatient clinics for respiratory patients, and the majority of them also operate clinics capable of screening for the virus on-site.

The move is intended to limit possible hospital transmission of the virus and to ease fears around hospital transmission that could discourage the public from presenting at hospitals with conditions unrelated to COVID-19.

During the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea, transmission occurred both within and between hospitals, leading to widespread reports of sick or injured people choosing not to visit hospitals for fear of catching the virus.
Full details here: https://www.mohw.go.kr/eng/nw/nw0101vw.jsp?PAR_MENU_ID=1007&MENU_ID=100701&page=2&CONT_SEQ=353495