Abstract

2019 Quarantine Response Plan for Mecca, Saudi Arabia Pilgrimage (Hajj) Participants

Choi Go-Eun, Son Tae-Jong, Park Gi-Jun
Division of Quarantine Support, Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, KCDC

To prevent the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) from entering the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) implements tightened quarantine controls for arrivals from the Middle East. In particular, the KCDC enforces strict quarantine measures for arrivals returning from the Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In 2018,  there were 300 participants of HaJJ who travelled to Saudi Arabia. They all came from the ROK (1 was Korean, 299 were foreiners). Among them, 263 people (87.7%) re-entered to Korea within the quarantine period and the last of them, 37 (12.3%) got back to their home countries. During the quarantine period, twenty-three cases showed MERS symptoms, and two cases were suspected. As part of the prevention plan, the KCDC compiled a list of pilgrims before the 2019 Hajj and implemented tightened quarantine measures (e.g., quarantine officers measure the body temperature of arrivals at international airports in the ROK and arrivals fill out a self-reported health status questionnaire). Furthermore, after entry into the domestic area, arrivals are informed of the symptoms of infectious diseases via short message service (SMS), and hospitals are provided with a list of arrivals from the Middle East to prevent the inflow of MERS.

Keywords: Quarantine, Body temperature, Meddle East respiratory syndrome, Hajj, Saudi Arabia