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The app for tracking immigrants, the database for tracking contacts and electronic wristbands, South Korea offers more measures to further stop Covid-19.
Aiming to keep Asia’s fourth largest economy alive, South Korea continues to develop measures that have helped it succeed, such as extensive testing and contact tracing without extensive blocking. or force people to work from home.
“There is no need to use the blockade or the travel ban, we can keep factories partially operational, show the world that we are a safe and transparent manufacturer,” South Korean President Moon Jae said last week.
Medical personnel entered a hospital in Seoul on April 13. Photos: Reuters.
South Korea was one of the first countries to effectively curb Covid-19. Now, anti-epidemic measures are being changed and improved to deal with the risk of an acute outbreak.
South Korea has a plan build a “smart cities” database and require quarantine violators to wear tracking wristbands. This database was originally designed to share information between cities on topics such as traffic and pollution. Health officials want to take advantage of that network to reduce the time it takes to find and isolate nCoV infections.
This database, operated by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), provides epidemiologists with real-time data on infected people, including where they live. What to do for how long, video from security cameras and credit card transactions.
With this tool, the time taken to determine the travel history of an infected person can be reduced from approximately one day to 10 minutes, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).
In addition to the information released by KCDC, the system also aggregates data from the National Police Agency, the Korea Finance and Credit Association, three telecommunications companies and 22 credit card companies.
Lee Soo-young, director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said the technology will help researchers track cases more effectively. However, MOLIT emphasized that the police must allow investigators to view the information and that only a few people can access the data to ensure confidentiality. The database will be removed when the Korean translation is complete.
A coalition of 17 human rights groups has raised concerns about non-compliance with quarantine rules for wearing wristbands, saying it could be seen as discriminatory behavior. In response, the government announced that it would only take action if the criminal agreed.
Another key point in South Korea’s strategy to prevent Covid-19 is promote border control. About half of the new infections in the past few weeks have been imported. Instead of closing the border, South Korea tests and quarantines almost everyone entering the country, including Korean citizens. They installed a booth at Seoul Incheon International Airport to immediately screen anyone with symptoms. People who do not have symptoms will also be evaluated within three days.
All the people who enter must download an application that allows tracking of their location, users must also report if there are any symptoms. All immigrants, including those who are negative for nCoV, must remain isolated for 14 days. After two weeks, the application displays a notification that the user can delete it from the phone.
South Korea implemented a “community breakup” from March 21 to April 19, urging people to avoid meeting and avoid leaving. These measures are implemented voluntarily instead of ordering people to stay home.
Health officials say they are look for ways to adjust “community isolation” in the coming weeks to again reduce the risk of an acute outbreak, but also create conditions to resume economic and social life.
Some of the long-term policies being discussed include making the workplace less crowded and convincing people not to go to work when they are sick, Yoon Tae-ho, the public health official at the Ministry of Health . Korean international said.
Last week, the KCDC outlined its epidemic regulations for schools, churches, and recreational facilities, including regular disinfection, asking people to stay away from each other and monitoring body temperature.
“Our goal is to contain the epidemic at the health system level, including staff and hospital beds, so that we can manage it,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo.
South Korean authorities say they want to keep the number of new daily infections below 50, the level they reached last week. South Korea on April 15 recorded 27 new shifts, marking the third consecutive day of data below 30.
The country is also strengthening its capacity to evaluate and increase resources for health facilities. Hospitals evaluate all patients with pneumonia. The staff of nursing homes and health facilities are regularly evaluated. Authorities have designated two new hospitals and are building one more to treat infectious diseases.
The government disbursed an additional 135 billion won ($ 111 million) to build 120 additional isolation rooms, purchase additional medical equipment and specialized ambulances, pay medical personnel to combat the epidemic, and prepare for future epidemics. They established new rules, considering masks, glasses, disinfectants, protective clothing and infrared cameras as strategic elements stored by the government.
“We will have to improve daily hygiene standards and prevent disease,” Yoon said. “This will be a persistent battle.”
Phương Vũ (The O Reuters)
