How does South Korea Press the Spread of Covid-19 without Lockdown?

The case of the Covid-19 corona virus in South Korea reached 8,652 to this day, Friday (3/20/2020) at 15.43 WIB. The data comes from the CSSE Johns Hopkins Map. From the number of corona cases, as many as 1,540 have been declared cured and the number of death cases is 94 people. Korea is one of the countries with the most widely discovered Covid-19 case in the world. Previously on February 12, 2020, there were only 28 cases in South Korea that were corona positive. But there was a sharp jump starting on February 20 after a woman in Daegu was stated positive. Corona cases in Korea broke through 1,000 in just a few days and now reach 8,000.

Previously, South Korea became the country with the most cases in the world after China. But Korea began to move quickly to suppress the spread of Covid-19. If China and Italy choose to lockdown by closing the Wuhan region in China and Italy, then South Korea takes a different step.

The Korean government responded by taking preventive measures in a coordinated manner and continued to emphasize transparency and called for public cooperation in lieu of lockdown measures. South Korea does not limit the movement of people - even in Daegu, the southeastern city at the center of the country's outbreak does not have a lockdown. Authorities focus on mandatory quarantine in patients infected with Covid-19 and people who have had close contact.

In addition, the government also advises people to stay indoors, avoid public events, wear masks and practice good hygiene. And while many countries have imposed travel bans - including the US, which has introduced travel restrictions from Europe - Seoul instead introduced "special immigration procedures" for countries that were highly exposed to Covid-19 such as China. Travelers are required to undergo a temperature check, provide verification of contact information and complete a health questionnaire at Incheon International Airport.

In addition the South Korean government also runs a testing program that has screened more people per capita. Even the number examined is more than any other country. South Korea is able to carry out examinations of up to 15,000 tests per day. South Korean medical personnel have examined around 250,000 people - about one in every 200 South Koreans - since January. To encourage public participation in this examination, the government stated that all examinations related to Covid-19 were free to anyone who was referred by a doctor or showed symptoms of Covid-19. While those who are healthy and want to know the risk of infection, the government will impose a fee of 160,000 won, or about 235 US dollars.

Covid-19 testing is available in hundreds of clinics. In order to facilitate testing, the government built 50 drive-through testing stations. South Korea can screen patients suspected of Covid-19 in just minutes. More and more citizens are being examined, making it easier for the government to classify who must be quarantined and disinfect.

The government will also send text messages to the public to inform about travel or movement of Covid-19 patients from the name of the store to the restaurant visited. This was done so that residents were alert and immediately reported if they had made direct contact or visited locations visited by positive patients of Covid-19. Even people who are confirmed to be infected with the corona virus can be tracked using GPS and a map that directly shows their location. This was done so that anyone can avoid contact with him.

Korea's aggressive step in the Covid-19 examination made the number of corona cases continue to decline from 686 on March 2, 2020 to 131 new cases on March 3, 2020. "The government is now launching a quick response after raising crisis warnings to the highest level," said President Moon Jae's statement -in on March 1, 2020. On March 6, 2020, South Korea reported only 110 new cases and on the same day, the number of patients recovering reached 177 people, surpassing new infections for the first time. South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed optimism, and hopes that South Korea can soon enter the "stability phase" if the trend remains strong.

Citizens Down Active Fight Corona Korean government's rapid response in preventing COvid-19 certainly can not run without the support of its citizens. Korean civil society voluntarily involved in efforts to suppress the spread of corona. They canceled major events ranging from concerts to performances that would cause a large crowd. Koreans also choose to worship at home.

 Worship at Geraja or other places of worship is done online or by using live streaming. Citizens also heard the persuasion of the government to stay away from Daegu - where most of the cases of co-19 were so that the government did not need to turn the entire city into a "prison" because of lockdown. This cooperation between the government and the citizens has made the Covid-19 case in Korea remain in the 8,000 figure as other countries such as Italy, Iran, the US, France, Spain and Germany have continued to soar even beyond the number of cases in South Korea.