WSJ(The Wall Street Journal) said South Korea is effectively responding to the disease by identifying the movement of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) as “big data” and releasing them quickly.
The Wall Street Journal reported on February 17 that the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea is thoroughly searching the confirmation of the patients’ credit card records, CCTV screens, mobile phone location identification services, public transportation cards, and immigration records to find out the connection and then releasing relevant information on its website.
Such a copper wire tracking system, coupled with other preventive measures such as restriction and Isolation, is being used to limit the spread of the virus from its origin China, the WSJ explained.
While other Asian countries, including China, are also tracking the movements of the confirmed people, South Korea’s COVID-19 countermeasure strategy is “Stand out” in terms of detailed information that authorities disclose to the public, the WSJ said.
However, the newspaper explained that Korea has the sixth-largest number of confirmed cases compared to other neighboring countries of China (30 as of July 17), but still has the sixth-highest number of infections after China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan.
The WSJ added that the South Korean government was criticized for its delay in releasing information during the 2015 MERS outbreak, and that because of this experience, it is now quickly disclosing information related to COVID-19.
The WSJ also predicted that South Korea’s response to the epidemic could be further strengthened, noting that South Korean lawmakers submitted a bill earlier this month to raise fines on those who violate quarantine rules from 3 million won to about 20 million won.
