Coronavirus Update: South Koreans Flock To Virus Tracking Apps Amid Outbreak

As the coronavirus spreads in South Korea, mobile apps tracking the outbreak have become extremely popular. The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it would roll out a GPS-based app that would monitor coronavirus patients in quarantine.

“The government discussed about a more efficient way to monitor people in quarantine and developed an application,” Park Jong-hyun, a South Korean public official said. Patients in quarantine who use the app will set off an alarm when they leave their designated quarantine zone.

The app would be provided to citizens in the southern city of Daegu, where more than 2,300 people are under quarantine.

As of last Thursday, six out of the top 15 most popular apps on the Google Play Store in South Korea were related to coronavirus tracking.

One app, Corona 100m, allows users to see how close they are to coronavirus patients geographically. It also provides information on the nationality of the patient, along with the places they last visited and date they contracted the virus.

South Korea has become the largest epicenter of the outbreak outside of China, with over 5,328 cases. Many of the infected cases are tied to a controversial religious group which is often described as a “cult.”

The coronavirus originated at an animal and seafood market in Wuhan, China. The virus has killed over 3,200 people worldwide, with more than 92,000 global cases.