NEW coronavirus app developed to assist South Korean government with self-quarantine

The South Korean government is taking a unique approach to prevent the spread of coronavirus. An app, called, “self-quarantine safety protection” has been designed for officials to monitor and track the thousands of infected residents in self-quarantine.

After several cases of self-quarantines were violated by patients leaving their designated areas, officials decided to take what they are calling “maximum action” to contain the spread of the virus.

How does it work?

A GPS is installed in the app for the government to track the location of each self-quarantined patient to ensure that they stay in their respective zones, whether done intentionally or accidentally.

An alert would sound off if the quarantine were to be breached, but it goes beyond tracking the whereabouts of each resident. There is a communication process between users and officials. A twice-a-day check in is required for patients to report their current symptoms, an assigned government official then monitors these updates and tracks if there is any change to see if progress is being made.

Downloading Process

Self-quarantine safety protection is currently available for Android users, while the iPhone version will launch on March 20.

It is not mandatory for infected patients to download the app, it is simply an option that the government is exploring in certain parts of the country to make the process more efficient.

It initially launched in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, which are the largest affected areas in South Korea. The app will be available in the rest of the country in the coming weeks.

Will it become international?

So far, South Korea is the only nation to implement the app, but officials have said that if other countries were to inquire about using the technology for their own residents, they would be willing to share it.

The number of self-quarantined cases has reached over 30,000 worldwide.