Introduction
COVID-19 is a new deadly infection that has spread globally (1). This essay analyzes the measures taken by South Korea to deal with this Covid-19. The South Korean government’s
solutions for dealing with the disease were mainly based on four key phases including testing, tracking, tracing as well as treating the patients. Testing began in January 27 after four people were diagnosed with the disease, the country hired over twenty firms to manufacture a test kit Fisher et al. (2). These kits were tested for accuracy and reliability and then used by the government.
Further, the government initiated careful tracking and tracing of suspected cases. This ensured that an individual’s movement would be tracked to analyze the contacts that they had
and the potential risk of infection (2). This ensured that people who are diagnosed with the virus are separated from the general public thus reducing the infection rates. There was also a collaboration with the local governments to provide all required resources including CCTV footage, smartphone data and credit card history to effectively track
their movement Jo (3). The public was also urged to share information with authorities. Experts also created GPS tracking applications that could effectively track movements. Thus, people who come into contact with patients can be aware of the risks and seek medical attention (2). Further, South Korea implemented a quarantine and punishment for failure to adhere to these directives. The government also rewarded firms that developed applications to fight the virus an illustration being the Corona 100m, the app provided alerts to people who were within 100m proximity to the Covid-19 patients (3). The Covid-19 patients were classified based on risk into two classes the mild or severe. Patients with severe cases had to be hospitalized in order to receive special attention (4). On the other hand, patients with mild cases were supposed to separate themselves from members of the
public so as to reduce the infection rates Ahn (5). The treatments included isolation, antiviral or antibiotic medication, and monitoring. This strategy ensured that excessive pressure was not applied on medical supplies and the health facilities (6). The rapid measures and control taken by South Korea can be associated with past experiences. An example is the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) where the government failed to be transparent towards its citizens regarding the number of patients and treatment strategies (5). This led to panic and increased infections. After the MERS the public realized that they could trade their personal privacy for government transparency where this is
necessary. Based on the MERS the government amended the law. The new laws ensured that the ministry of health could gather private information from patients and potential contacts (5). The new law was very effective when dealing with Coronavirus because the patients’ movements could be traced and the public was involved in the process.
References
2. Fisher, M., & Sang-hun, C. (2020, March 23). How South Korea Flattened the Curve. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/world/asia/coronavirus-south- Korea-flatten-curve.html
3. Jo, E. A. (2020, April 6). A Democratic Response to Coronavirus: Lessons From South Korea. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/a-democratic-
response-to-coronavirus-lessons-from-south-korea/
4. Australian Dietary Guidelines (2013). (2013, October 17). Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://nutritionaustralia.org/fact-sheets/australian-dietary-guidelines-2013/
5. Ahn, M. (2020, April 27). How South Korea flattened the coronavirus curve with technology. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/how-south-korea-flattened-the-
coronavirus-curve-with-technology-136202
6. Gee G, Dudgeon P, Schultz C, Hart A, Kelly K. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing. Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
mental health and wellbeing principles and practice. 2014;2:55-68.
