Some concerns on Korea`s quarantine

The quarantining of more than 50 English teachers last week was the subject of a great deal of interest and concern in the expat community. There are several reasons for concern, first because many English teachers work with children, and many small and not-so-small children have not yet learned to cover their mouths when they cough, or to wash their hands properly. This means both teachers and students are at risk: diseases spread easily in schools.

However, another point of concern for many foreigners in Korea is whether Swine Flu is beginning to be portrayed as a "Foreigner Disease." The Joongang Daily published an article with the headline "Foreign English Teachers Epicenter of New Flu Cases."



It is a matter of fact that a large number of the virus-infected in Korea are foreign English teachers. That`s undeniable. However, some of us are concerned, that if English teachers are portrayed as the primary disease carriers, it will have two side-effects that are bad for everyone.

The first side-effect is bad for Koreans. If Koreans read an article saying "Foreign Teachers Epicenter of New Flu Cases," from a news source they trust, there is a chance that they will decide, "Well, I don`t spend time around foreigners, so I`m fine." That false sense of security might cause some to neglect safety precautions recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent disease transmission.

Believing H1N1 is a foreigners` problem actually increases the risk that Koreans will catch the disease. When SARS appeared in Asia, many Koreans believed kimchi kept SARS out of Korea, but again, I hope Koreans will not rely on kimchi alone to protect them: a friend quoted a Kenny Rogers song to me, "Trust in God but lock your door," and I answered, "Eat kimchi, but wash your hands with soap."

The other, more insidious worry that some foreigners have is that this situation will spread the attitude that foreign English teachers are the source of diseases: Many foreign teachers around Korea have described being asked to take a health check, despite experiencing no symptoms, and not having traveled outside of Korea for a long time.

If they were personal friends of someone who is now in quarantine, they ought to go to a health clinic out of their own duty toward the community`s public safety.

If a school decides it is the safest choice to send all their teachers, Korean and foreign, to a clinic for a health check, that is a very prudent thing to do: Everyone spending time around kids is at risk.

However, comment boards online are reporting foreigners being asked to submit to unwarranted health checks and being asked to prove that they are disease-free, in a "guilty until proven innocent" manner that makes it seem like they are being singled out as disease carriers.

If the swine flu scare convinces Korea to be more health conscious, to be more careful about hand washing and sanitation at schools and restaurants, to stay home from work when they are sick, so as not to spread diseases, that is a great thing.

However, if the health scare is used as an excuse to put suspicion on foreign English teachers and create or reinforce an image of foreigners as disease carriers (while Koreans are unconcerned), this could develop into an unhealthy pattern of fear and suspicion toward foreigners: Such things do not belong in an advanced society such as Korea.

It is the responsibility of Korea`s media to provide fair information to the people of Korea, instructing them as to the true risks of the disease in a level-headed way, and describing how each Korean can help prevent its spread, without playing on people`s worst fears, manipulating people`s emotions with yellow journalism, and shifting blame onto outsiders and scapegoats.

By Rob Ouwehand





More of Rob`s writings can be found at http://roboseyo.blogspot.com. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of The Korea Herald. - Ed.