South korea: mobile apps to control covid coronavirus

South Korea is one of the Asian countries most affected by the spread of the coronavirus. In Asia, it is a key point for the technology industry, which is of great concern to companies like LG or Samsung. Therefore, South Korea has decided to "take the bull by the horns": the population must be controlled down to the smallest detail. And it is that, unfortunately, human beings are irresponsible by nature.

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South Korea: Launches an APP to control the coronavirus and monitor citizens

As a connoisseur of our rights, it is very easy for someone to go off on the tangent of “ What about my right to privacy? ”It is clear that we are facing an extraordinary situation, especially a difficult one. Faced with difficult problems, easy solutions: control the population.

The app has been developed by the Ministry of the Interior and Security and is only available on Android, although for iPhone it will be ready on March 20. It offers the following functions:

Whoever has been ordered not to leave home can stay in touch with social workers to report their progress. Use the GPS of the mobile to monitor the tracking of each citizen. With this, it is possible to control the population and know who leaves the house.

Therefore, the application is essential to inform the government of the infected and their evolution. GPS tracking proved helpful when a 61-year-old woman became a "super spreader" and ignored the doctor's advice, refusing to take the test. It all resulted in the infection, meanwhile, more people in Daegu.

Prohibitions

First, anyone in contact with a confirmed coronavirus carrier must be quarantined for 2 weeks on a mandatory basis. According to South Korea, " contact " is: having been within 2 meters of a carrier or having been in the same room where the patient has coughed .

Second, everyone who receives the quarantine obligation is prohibited from leaving their quarantine areas (homes, normally). In addition, they are obliged to have an internal separation with the other family members with whom they live.

Those who are locked up in their homes register twice a day by phone to see the evolution of symptoms. Korea has deployed mobile test devices for testing and sampling on the street or at home . In the event that the citizen leaves the quarantine area (their home, normally), an alert will be issued on the citizen's mobile.

Jung Chang-hyun, a ministry official, oversaw the development of the app and issued these statements.

Around 30, 000 people are quarantining across the country. There is a limit of human resources available for local governments to monitor people.

The app is a support service aimed at efficiency. People who are quarantined can leave their home intentionally or by mistake, so the app can help block these incidents in an organized way.

On the other hand, the application is not mandatory because there are people who have difficulties using or downloading it. For this reason, the telephone call system to monitor the status of patients will continue.

More measures to combat coronarivus

The application is not the only measure that the South Korean country has launched to control Covid-19. In Goyang City, drivers stop at checkpoints where they are attended by restrooms dressed in quarantine suits.

Later, drivers head to a station where nurses in plastic suits, bumpers and masks search drivers and passengers, checking temperatures and examining throat and nostrils. According to authorities, it is safer and faster to detect the virus in a drive-in than in a hospital. Finally, passengers and drivers go through the entire diagnosis without leaving their cars.

Another measure is that of test kits. These are kits that reduce test time and minimize contact between patients and healthcare providers. The diagnostic time is 20 minutes, and Moon Jae-in, the president of South Korea, said more testing facilities could be built without entering the hospital. Translated into practical data, these kits allow diagnosing 15, 000 people a day.

However, the Koreans have decided to establish a transparency policy. On the one hand, local governments send notifications or alerts to citizens' phones to report a new case of coronavirus. Testimonies have been collected from citizens, such as Choi Beop-joon, a citizen of Daegu, the most infected city in South Korea.

I get three or four emergency messages every day, and they are troubling. The reason for this is that the government is testing coronavirus very fast. I am happy with the way the authorities are handling the outbreak.

On the other hand, Kim Areum, infectious disease doctor and director of the Inha University Hospital International Medical Care Center in Incheon, said the following:

The way the virus is being managed is really organized, transparent and efficient. Our national health system is good, so we go to the hospital without hesitation.

Finally, South Korea is a world reference (along with Japan) regarding the management of an epidemic of this caliber. Add that the Government of South Korea would be willing to share its app with other countries that request it, and thus control the coronavirus. These were Jung's statements.

We have not had other countries asking for our help yet, but if they did, we would absolutely

At the moment, South Korea appears to be controlling the coronavirus effectively, which encourages other Asian governments.

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Singapore and Taiwan: large fines for those who fail to follow instructions

Following the same method as South Korea , Singapore also controls its population via GPS. However, this nation has continuously emphasized the need for collective social responsibility.

In this way, the authorities have reported severe penalties for violators of the instructions issued. Those who do not stay home could be fined up to $ 10, 000 or 6 months in prison. In the case of self-employed workers, Singapore has offered them $ 100 a day. If people cannot isolate themselves at home, they can do so in public facilities.

In conclusion, another of the countries honored for its good measures is Taiwan. The main measures were the production of masks and the imposition of sanctions.

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Do you think things can be done better? Do you consider that your country has undertaken insufficient measures to control the coronavirus?

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