Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bassexpander]

http://underquarantine.tumblr.com/


There are tons of great photos on here, folks.

[RufusW]

Apparently they're now in solitary(ish) confinement. He's a funny writer as well, good find!

[karmarooster]

here are two more blogs:

http://therubycanary.wordpress.com/

http://web.me.com/superacidjax/Sparkling_Chaos/Welcome/Welcome.html

#2 has a video tour of the quarantine area.

[RACETRAITOR]

Nothing lamer than quarantined patients complaining about their right to infect us being taken away.

[harlowethrombey]

[phoneboothface]

Holy crap this is scary.

I sneezed today as I was walking down the street and a high school kid RAN to the other side of the street and covered his face with both hands.

Are they being quarantined because they just got here?

I haven't left the country in months so I assume I'm ok but um...?

[harlowethrombey]

I read all his posts.

They're under quarentine because they had contact with someone who had the flu. It doesnt sound like the blogger or anyone else has the flu, but the CDC is keeping them there just in case.

Sounds like a real bummer of a situation as they're not supposed to:
smoke
go outside
suntan
exercise
read books
use the internet
drink


The first week of SMOE training had us cooped up in this building for a week and unable to leave (there were actual security guards that turned me away when I tried to take a 6AM jog into town. And they were posted at every exit). But at least we had the internet and workout facilities.

It sounds like they're trying to make the best of a bad situation, but they're getting a tan, which puts them one up on me But the CDC apparently trying to clamp down on the outflow of information is just the sort of self-defeating action I'd expect. . . from North Korea.

However, for me, the most damning part of the blog is the lax response from the U.S. embassey.

[Adventurer]

Well, those guys holding them in quarantine don't want these guys in quarantine. In American movies, do you see guys going out smoking and tanning when they're in quarantine and given the the Ritz kind of treatment? Not really. I am not sure how a quarantine would work in real life in the U.S. How would a quarantine work back home for a person who is sick? I believe folks might have been quarantined for having SARS in Canada. I can't really remember.

Aren't quarantined people kind of confined? I don't know protocols back home regarding this stuff.

[RACETRAITOR]

[Smee]

What gets me is they "quarantined" everyone together, meaning the sick infected everyone else.

I don't have a problem with quarantining these teachers, because some of them did after all test positive. However, I don't want to see this attributed to a certain country (especially since it seems to have originated in Japan) or a certain set of workers. Sure, stronger measures at the border may help . . . but so will, as everyone's been saying forever, washing hands, covering mouths, and not coming to work sick.

[bassexpander]

People are being treated quite well by SK, from what I've read.

It's the foreigner-seletive paranoia of putting people in there that bothers me. As the blogs say, they came in contact with many South Koreans who were not taken away, or were just told to stay home to see if they developed symptoms.

My Korean friend was telling me about how Americans must be more succeptible to this because few Koreans have it.

[Adventurer]

[harlowethrombey]

The CDC of Korea is coming off as pretty clueless in this blog.

The doctors that are examining the people in quarentine are coming and going as they please. That is not how a quarentine works.

I certainly hope a real disease never breaks out here.

And, again, the non-response from the U.S. State Dept. is inexcusable. No matter that SK is being very nice about the whole thing, there are still dozens of U.S. citizens that are being detained against their will, given medical treatment against their will and are being held for an undefined period of time. And the State Department's response is, apparently, to go on vacation.

I thought we just voted the morons out of office. . .

[Gnawbert]

Thanks for the comments and link to my blog. I'm glad it's at least amusing. The last thing I want it to do is stir up a whole bunch of anti-Korean poor-repressed-whitie sentiment. Were there things being done that don't make sense from an epidemiological point of view? Absolutely! I've actually had close to sixty emails today, three from health officials (2 in the US, 1 in the UK) giving advice and pointing out things they're doing wrong. I've sort of accepted the fact that the Ministry of Health is going to run this show however they seem fit, logic or not.

As for whether there are Koreans with us: yes, there are! I keep seeing this come up, and there are quite a few, one who didn't even train with us but simply drove the sick first patient to the hospital. I can't imagine how annoyed she must be.

As for the xenephobia outside, I have no idea what it's like, but feel free to drop me info via the blog.

Anyways, thanks again for the link. There blog's merely meant to be entertaining to read (and keep me from going nuts and flinging poo like a caged monkey).

~best,

-Drew-

[Adventurer]

Well, if the Korean Government hasn't provided a police force that is very interested in proper investigative work, forensics (scientific elements associated with police work), then there's no surprise that they didn't have proper scientific protocols in place to deal with an epidemic. This is not to say that there aren't Korean scientists worth their salt who are shaking their head at the idiots running the show in the beginning. Later, it seems they isolated people from each other, because someone had the sense to tell them to do that.

As far as the US Government, I can't expect them to do much. They would quarantine foreign nationals as well as their own citizens. I would do that if I were the government. I wouldn't citizens or non-citizens making other members of the public ill. It is a question of national security.

I am sorry that some fellow Dave's users are in solitary confinement, basically, and cannot communicate with others. That must be difficult.
I hope they will be out very soon.

I don't really feel it's so much xenophobia as much as ignorance with the government. Obviously, scientists who would know better what to do weren't consulted. I am certain there are people who would know what to do, but they weren't in charge for whatever reason.