Introduction and implementation of quarantine pass

Yugyeong Jeong

A quarantine pass is a certificate that permits use of multiple facilities, such as karaoke rooms, gyms, and public baths, only to those who have completed the COVID-19 vaccine or have confirmed negative PCR test results. It is one of the measures of ‘With Corona’ that took effect on November 1, 2021. The quarantine pass, also called a vaccine pass, can be recognized by presenting the Electronic Vaccination Certificate (COOV) provided through a smartphone app, or by using a paper certificate or an inoculation completion sticker for senior citizens who have difficulty issuing an electronic certificate. The quarantine pass is valid for up to 6 months after the 2nd vaccination, and automatically expires after 6 months, and takes effect again when the 3rd vaccination is completed. Since the PCR test confirmation is valid for 48 hours after issuance, it is necessary to undergo a PCR test once every 2-3 days in order to continue to use the multi-use facility that requires a quarantine pass. Children and adolescents under the age of 18 and adults who have not been vaccinated due to medical reasons such as allergies are not restricted from using the facility, but the quarantine pass for adolescents will be strengthened from February 2022. Vaccine passes are currently being applied in Germany, France, and Italy as well.

A problem occurred in the system from the 13th, the first day that quarantine pass violation fines were imposed. As a large number of people gathered to receive the first certification, an error occurred in checking whether vaccination was completed not only in the COOV app operated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but also in the Naver and Kakao apps. The sudden access problem caused inconvenience to both the owner of the multi-use facility and the visitor. On the 14th, the day after the implementation, access problems occurred in some apps. Despite the government’s emergency server expansion, there was a setback in the implementation of the quarantine pass. Accordingly, the head of the social strategy division of the Central Accident Response Headquarters said that the application of penalties would be suspended for cases where the quarantine pass was not confirmed due to a system problem. After the guidance period, users who violate the quarantine pass will be fined not more than 100,000 won, and business owners will be fined 1.5 million won for the first violation and 3 million won for the second violation.