Testing on the move: South Korea's rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives Vol. 5; p. 100111
• Main Authors: Lee, David, Lee, Jaehong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2020; The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Contact tracing; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Drive-through testing; Mobile applications; Movement tracking; COVID-19; Contact tracing; Coronavirus; Mobile applications; Movement tracking; Drive-through testing
• ISSN: 2590-1982; 2590-1982
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2020.100111

The emergence of COVID-19 in South Korea, and the public and private sector response to it, serves as a valuable case study for countries facing similar outbreaks. This article focuses on how Korean health officials implemented drive-through and walk-through diagnostic testing, and extensive movement and contact tracing, to identify and inform exposed members of the public. Mobile applications from both government agencies and private developers played an important role in guiding people to testing centers, communicating movement trajectories of confirmed cases on digital maps, and tracking the health and movements of travelers and others at risk of exposure. This case study illustrates the importance of rapid adaptation of transportation infrastructure and location-based information technology to respond to public health crises, and how governments can learn from experimentation and past experience to accelerate these responses.