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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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Joe666
Joined: 19 Nov 2008
Location: Jesus it's hot down here!
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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Because genetically, the Koreans and the Japanese are extremely close. They were after all Mongolians who migrated to this area well over 10,000 years ago.
If a Japanese citizen has the H1N1 and it mutates, it will mutate in favor of Mongolians everywhere. If a caucasion has said virus and it mutates, it will mutate in non-favor of the former Mongolian immune system. It's really that simple! |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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Or tourists from any country, for that matter?
Answer: Tourist dollars are still desired. Nobody will come here if Korea tells tourists they can't go out for a week.
People, this issue needs to be highlighted, because currently, we are being discriminated against as a group. How many corporate-types coming from the USA are asked to stay in a hotel and not work for a week? |
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Burndog
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
Or tourists from any country, for that matter?
Answer: Tourist dollars are still desired. Nobody will come here if Korea tells tourists they can't go out for a week.
People, this issue needs to be highlighted, because currently, we are being discriminated against as a group. How many corporate-types coming from the USA are asked to stay in a hotel and not work for a week? |
I don't think that we're being discriminated against as a group. I think that if there is a risk that people entering Korea from certain countries have the virus, then the Government should do what it logically can to halt the spread of the virus. It's not logical to quarantine someone for seven days, if their intention is to visit Korea for three days. Having said that, the entire response to this virus has been illogical and over the top, globally, so what hope does Korea have of avoiding the hype?
Many teacher's work with children, and children are a much greater at risk category than adults. I can understand why the Government might be edgy about the potential for transfer of this flu amongst the population of a large public school, and then having that spread to an entire district through after school programs.
In short, I think that teachers do pose more of a risk to the wider Korean community than tourists...and not just foreign teachers, but Korean teachers who travel also. At my school, all of the teachers (I'm public, so that's all of the Korean teaching staff, kitchen staff, office staff...and one foreign me) are having our temperature checked each day...and yes it's extreme...a lot of the measures are extreme, and dare I say, over the top. I just don't agree that they are discrimination. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with Burndog. A temporary health precaution does not add up to discrimination. Besides, it will prevent the rush from plane to classroom that's so typical.
Last edited by Ya-ta Boy on Tue May 26, 2009 4:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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harlowethrombey
Joined: 17 Mar 2009
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 4:29 pm Post subject: Re: Why aren't tourists told to stay quarantined for a week? |
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Because you cant always tell they're not Koreans just by looking at them, of course! |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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So you are ignoring the calls that have gone out to schools this week specifically asking about the health of the waygook at their school, whether they have travelled or not?
What about quarantining just foreigners -- placing them in groups with people who have already been infected, by the way (again, from the blogs), while allowing Koreans they've been in contact with to go home?
There is a "fear of foreigners" that's being fostered by national health organizations -- and it seems to be that teachers are getting the brunt of it. That's what I've been reading in the blogs from people who are quarantined.
Of course, you may feel differently, but when my friends have their schools called and are told to keep all foreigners in quarantine before they can teach, when non-teachers are not told to do so, then I consider it discrimination. If this is going to be effective, it needs to cover EVERYONE coming in from overseas. Otherwise, it's almost useless.
It disgusts me when these "rules" are applied to a certain group, while other are ignored because it might effect things like tourist dollars. Selective enforcement will do nothing to stop this from spreading. |
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Burndog
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
So you are ignoring the calls that have gone out to schools this week specifically asking about the health of the waygook at their school, whether they have travelled or not?
What about quarantining just foreigners -- placing them in groups with people who have already been infected, by the way (again, from the blogs), while allowing Koreans they've been in contact with to go home?
There is a "fear of foreigners" that's being fostered by national health organizations -- and it seems to be that teachers are getting the brunt of it. That's what I've been reading in the blogs from people who are quarantined.
Of course, you may feel differently, but when my friends have their schools called and are told to keep all foreigners in quarantine before they can teach, when non-teachers are not told to do so, then I consider it discrimination. If this is going to be effective, it needs to cover EVERYONE coming in from overseas. Otherwise, it's almost useless.
It disgusts me when these "rules" are applied to a certain group, while other are ignored because it might effect things like tourist dollars. Selective enforcement will do nothing to stop this from spreading. |
I agree with you to a certain extent. I wan to clarify one thing though...there ARE Koreans in quarantine with the teachers...this is a quote from Gnawbert in the "This blog is great" thread -
"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."
So it's not right to claim that it's just the foreigners in there. I lot of what you are saying is speculation...we don't know if Korean teachers who go on vacation to America in Summer will be quarantined as well. We only know at the moment that the government is quarantining teachers who arrive in Korea from certain countries. Now...at the moment these teachers are foreign teachers because Korean teachers aren't on vacation. If Korean teachers are treated differently after Summer vacation then I will agree that it is discrimination.
I agree that it's a bit odd that they are calling teacher's schools. I don't know why that is. The nurse at my school asked me if any of my friends had swine flu. I wasn't insulted though, and didn't feel like she was discriminating against me. Certainly at my school everyone has been treated in the same manner...Koreans and me.
There are a lot of arguments about what has happened. Certainly the quarantine seems strange, and I wonder how much of it has to with the fact that most of the teachers are new...which would make a home quarantine impossible (what would they eat?) and really boring (no internet, no tv, no books...at least they have the net and tv at their current locale).
A lot of what has happened seems to be poorly executed, medically ignorant and I feel, well intentioned. As I mentioned elsewhere, my hometown (Melbourne, Australia) is managing the manufactured 'crisis' as badly (although, honestly much worse) than the Koreans...closing some schools, forgetting to close others, letting flu infected people catch domestic flights, losing 36 children who they suspect are infected...but they aren't discriminating...they're just sheet.
It's difficult to convey a tone with the written word...therefore I would like to point out that my tone is not supposed to be argumentative. As someone who studied journalism, I find the way that things are portrayed much more interesting than the way things actually are...and I really appreciate your pov bassexpander. Cheers. |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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Well, in any case, it does sound like they aren't mistreating anyone -- actually, they're being pretty good to people, from what I've read.
The spread of the flu should be interesting, with all of the close interaction on subways and whatnot. I don't think there's any way it can be stopped. As I mentioned elsewhere, 60 people in my hometown alone are infected -- not speculatory cases -- confirmed. I'm not looking forward to taking a week off to roost in my home, but at least I'll get plenty of opportunity recover from jet-lag!
Someone else made an interesting point about this sort of forcing schools not to throw a teacher into a classroom on day 1 or 2 after arriving. Must break some hagwon owners' hearts!  |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| I just hope all this crap blows over before I go on vacation in July and August. What's the risk in Italy? |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, but how would they know if they person breaks quarantine? Medical officer to patrol the halls and floors of the foreigners' homes? Or do you get put in a qaurantine kind of internment camp? |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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I am trying to shake off this annoying cold. I remember when I was a kid I could shake off a cold in 2-3 days. It's hard to work with a head cold, and you don't want people being paranoid that you have some flu when you don't.
As far as teachers, they teach kids, so they want to make sure they don't infect a bunch of vulnerable kids. I can understand that.
They don't want to quarantine tourists and business people to stay in one place for a long time, because it's bad for business. We are not so important to the economy in a direct fashion. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Take Day-quil or some sort of cold meds. At the very least do something for the headaches that accompany headcolds. Go and see one of those Ear, nose and throat clinics if you can. Discreetly. Alternatively, call it allergies! |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Adventurer... you sure it's not allergies? Try some Allertec from your pharmacy (cheap... 3,000 won a box). Take half a pill, though, because 1 will put you to sleep. |
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Pink Freud
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Burndog, thanks for clearing up the misconceptions about there being no Koreans in quarantine. I'd been hearing that a lot. |
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