

“When it comes to emergency notifications, how people comply really varies by the context. According to his research, the effectiveness of text message alerts depends on the type of emergency at hand. Raj Sharman, a professor at the University of Buffalo’s Management Science and Systems Department, studies the relationship between disaster mitigation and technology.

“Now, I know which areas to avoid and I do feel like the government is doing a good job at keeping me informed.” Signs of fatigueīut as the outbreak drags on and the messages continue to buzz on phones around the country in unison, people are showing signs of fatigue. “I’ve been getting these messages maybe six, seven or even 10 times a day,” Cho TW, a university student, told Al Jazeera.
CORONA TRACKER ON IPHONE HOW TO
INSIDE STORY: How to overcome obstacles to widespread coronavirus testing? (24:45) People get the messages automatically and are not allowed to opt out. Moreover, any person with a smartphone in South Korea – almost the entire population, given that nine out of 10 South Koreans have one – gets location-based emergency messages that alert them when they are near a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

Routes taken by infected patients are published online regularly, while incoming travellers are required to report their symptoms daily on an app that they have to download on arrival at the airport. But South Korea has also turned to technology for help. Swift action and free or affordable mass-testing have been the country’s most effective weapons in countering the virus. Once the largest outbreak outside of China, South Korea has now managed to push the number of cases confirmed each day to around 50. Seoul, South Korea – South Korea has earned international plaudits for tracking and containing the coronavirus since reporting its first case back in February.
