Seoul: In a move to fastrack the screening process for coronavirus (covid-19), South Korea has launched several temporary checking facilities that operate in a ‘drive-through’ manner.
Drivers are checked for signs of fever or breathing difficulties from inside their respective vehicles. In the city of Goyang, medical workers wearing protective clothing lean in through the window to take samples of the commuters. The entire procedure is said to take less than ten minutes.
The push for such roadside testing facilities comes amid soaring demand among South Koreans for getting themselves tested. This demand has led to a substantial rise in wait times at regular health centres.
Speaking to local broadcaster YTN, a driver who was screened at the facility said, “I initially went to a community health centre and had to wait more than one hour, so this is easier and faster.”
South Korea’s coronavirus case total – the largest in the world outside China – approached 5,000 on Tuesday (March 3) as authorities reported 477 new cases.
