Two women have been sued by the provincial government in South Korea's Jeju island after travelling to the province despite showing signs of coronavirus. One of the tourists had a travel history and had gone to Jeju on March 20 even after being asked to isolate herself from the public.
They were identified to be a mother-daughter duo. The mother, 52, lives in Seoul and the daughter, 19, had just returned from Boston. The daughter had arrived in Korea on March 5 and was asked to quarantine herself. According to a press release from the Jeju Provincial office, the duo travelled to Jeju where they were said to have gone to 20 locations and interacted with at least 47 people.
The daughter started showing signs of having the virus from March 21 and later tested positive after returning to their home. The mother also tested positive.
Civil suit against the pair
The provincial government has filed a civil suit against them for not adhering to the community guidelines and risking the lives of several others. The lawsuit is claiming a damage of $107,000 (132 million won). The plaintiffs include the municipal government, two Jeju residents who have had to go into quarantine after interacting with the women and two businesses that were forced to close because of the women.
A statement by Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said this would hopefully send a strong message to the public. The actions by the women are said to have been against the community. The governor said their actions "threaten the deadly struggle of the medical workers, the endeavor of the disease prevention workers, and the participation of our people in their fight against coronavirus".
The complaint against the duo said that the daughter "had failed to uphold her duty as a member of the community" while the mother "actively joined her daughter's illegal activity, including providing funds for travel".
The Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) reported more than 90 cases in the country on Saturday, April 4. It presently has more than 10,000 cases with around 6,300 people recovering, while 177 have died of the virus.
