Table 1.

Hospital response protocols by the national alert level for infectious diseases

National alert levels	Hospital response
	Departments in charge of infectious disease control	Infectious diseases control task force	Management of patient with EIDs	Control of the hospital entrances	Education and training of all hospital staff	Promotion of infection control measures	Mobilization of health-care workers and resources
Attention (Blue) EIDs overseas with no immediate threat of importation	▪Review relevant KCDC protocols ▪Notify and educate on general infection control measures
Caution (Yellow) Domestic importation of EIDs from abroad	▪Monitor the national outbreak status ▪Hold simulation exercises	▪Activate an infectious diseases control task force for key decision-making	▪Prepare to operate HLIUs	▪Prepare to operate screening clinics outside hospital entrance	▪Distribute guidelines for infectious disease response ▪Educate the staff on the specifics of infection control measures	▪Post public health information leaflets and banners around the hospital
Alert (Orange) Confined spread of EIDs within the country	▪Operate a 24-hour emergency response system ▪Strengthen infection control measures		▪Admit and treat patients with EIDs in HLIUs	▪Operate screening stations at hospital entrances and screening clinicsa	▪Strengthen the education and training for all hospital staff (e.g. PPE training)	▪Strengthen the promotions of public health information within the hospital
Serious (Red) Spread of EIDs in communities across the country	▪Strengthen the operations of infectious diseases control task force (e.g. daily hospital-wide updates) ▪Strengthen infection control measures		▪Admit and treat patients with EIDs in HLIUs ▪Install temporary isolation wards using negative pressure devices	▪Strengthen the entrance control	▪Strengthen the education and training ▪Establish occupational health programme (e.g. daily self-report)	▪Devise public health promotional plans through media to reach the surrounding communities	▪Mobilize the reserve hospital staff and resources ▪Devise a regional and national plan for infection control

Abbreviations: EIDs, emerging infectious diseases; HLIU, high-level isolation units; PPE, personal protective equipment.

^aThe screening stations at the hospital entrances are aimed to screen patients and visitors for symptoms related to EIDs (e.g. fever, respiratory symptoms) or epidemiological risk factors (e.g. recent travel history to an endemic region) to prevent any unprepared entry into the hospital. Suspected people are triaged to the screening clinic, a temporary facility located outside the main hospital building, for further evaluation for EID.