On April 24, the Reuters reported that the South Korean government, which has successfully curbed the spread of the coronavirus, has issued guidelines to recover from the virus crisis and return to daily life.

South Korea outlined guidelines on Friday for a two-year return to a post-coronavirus normality including flexible working, bookings on public transport and quick restaurant meals in a country that has been a role model in containing COVID-19.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported just six new cases, the lowest number since the Feb. 28 peak of 909 in South Korea. Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the spread of the virus with social distancing rather than lengthy lockdowns.

However, the officials urged vigilance as imported cases and smaller clusters continued to emerge. “Some experts predict COVID-19 will stay for as long as two years, and we have to accept the reality that we can’t go back to pre-COVID-19 life during that time,” Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing.

“The government is preparing a transition to a sustainable routine distancing scheme with the goal of carrying out regular social and economic activity and preventing COVID-19 infections at the same time,” he said.

The guidelines detail a code of conduct in areas including workplaces, transport, restaurants, shopping and sporting fixtures, starting with general rules such as washing hands, maintaining distance and regular temperature checks and disinfection.

Officials say the strategy will only work if people remain wary. “The biggest sign of danger in our society is becoming careless that the risks of infections are gone,” KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said at a separate briefing.

Therefore, South Korea is preparing to successfully escape the COVID-19 crisis and return to daily life. Going a step further from the battle to prevent the virus from spreading, they are now in the preparation stage to end the virus and return to the normal.

South Korea has been continuing aggressive and large-scale diagnostic tests since the early days of the virus’ spread. Korea’s response was highly reported by foreign media, and most of all, they paid much attention to the total number of tested people in Korea. On March 18 Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that South Korea tests more than 15,000 people a day, with a total of more than 250,000. It said that 3,692 people had been tested on a 1 million basis, but at that time, the U.S. had only five tested people. The New York Times in the U.S. also reported on March 23 that South Korea has more than 300,000 tests and that the ratio of test per person is 40 times higher than that of the U.S.

Such large-scale diagnostic testing is possible because enough test kits are produced by several companies. In February, COVID-19 began to spread in earnest in South Korea, when the country was already developing the kits and producing enough kits. Some foreign media noted how Korean companies quickly developed the kits and had large-scale production capabilities.

The CNN focused on Seegene, a South Korean molecular bioengineering company, on March 13. According to the article, its CEO Chun Jong-yoon said he developed the test kits for COVID-19 using artificial intelligence-based technology in a few weeks in preparation for the spread of the virus even before there was the first confirmed case in South Korea. The government completed the approval of its use in a week, which usually takes more than a year.

This shows the swift response of the private sector and the government to contain the spread of the virus. Private companies have quickly developed the diagnostic kits, and the government has completed the approval process to use the kits, and thus, they have made the best response in their respective positions to deal with the virus in South Korea.

As the virus became wide-spreading, the Seegene has stopped producing other medical supplies and all employees have been put into the production of the COVID-19 test kit, Chun said. Based on the article released on March 13, the Seegene produces 10,000 kits a week, and one kit can test a hundred people, which means they produce enough kits to test a million people per week. The Seegene’s kits test the samples using the robot, which is four times faster than manual testing and also reduces the risk of error and contamination that people might cause while testing.

The U.S. media, Forbes also reported on the Seegene on April 5. According to the article, the Seegene developed and produced kits even before the situation in South Korea became serious, so measures such as the government’s massive diagnostic test could be conducted without problem, which played an important role in curbing the spread of the virus.

As South Korea has succeeded in flattening the curve of the virus through large-scale tests, the world is actively seeking to secure kits for testing. As a result, kits produced in Korea are now sending to the all over the world. The Forbes reported that as of mid-March, the Seegene produces 1 million kits a week and exports them to more than 40 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other Asian countries.

On April 9, The Diplomat also said South Korea is producing enough kits to test around 135,000 people a day, while five biotech companies are exporting the kits to abroad. Moreover, more than 120 countries have so far requested to the Korean government for the exportation or humanitarian assistance of the kits, it reported.

As such, South Korea has contained the spread of the virus, and now it is becoming a major country in the prevention of the virus around the world through large-scale production of the kits and supply them globally.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Korea occurred on January 20. Since then, Korea has rapidly increased the number of infected people to record the second largest number of confirmed cases in the world after China, but because of active and effective measures implemented by the Korean government, such as tracing, transparent information disclosure, contact tracking, and large-scale diagnostic tests, it has been able to slow the number of daily increase of the cases without large-scale lockdown. In this process, foreign media has focused on how Korea could control the virus, and Korea has become a global model in the process of the response for the virus.

France24, a French news agency, reported on the way of response for the virus in Korea in an article released on March 11 and emphasized that the Korea’s method could be a model for the countries battling against the COVID-19. According to the report, the methods including transparent disclosure of information and massive diagnostic tests have been effective to contain the spread of virus.

When one person gets a result of positive for the COVID-19, the officials trace the places where he/she has been for last two weeks and open the information to the public through websites and text messages, and also immediately disinfect the places. Moreover they also trace the people who have a contact with the infected and provide the test for the virus to all of them. With this process, they can find out the infected people in early stage even though they do not have symptoms. The article said that the early detection of the infected people has played a key role to tackle the spread of the virus.

The Guardians from the UK also reported an article titled ‘South Koreans keep calm and carry on testing’ on March 18, regarding the methods of aggressive diagnostic tests for the virus and contact tracking using the advanced technology in South Korea. According to the article, the Korean government investigates the route of the places where the infected person has been, using various information such as CCTV, credit card and mobile phone. Moreover, with tracing the path of the virus where it has come from, they can detect people who are likely to be infected and test all contacts.

In addition, the article also mentioned on the cost of testing for COVID-19 in South Korea. It said that the test is free of charge for people who traveled abroad recently, who contacted with the infected and who have been asked to get the test for the virus by doctors. And the cost of testing for those who are not included in this groups is 160,000 won, but if they get a result of positive, all the costs will be refunded and the government will also pay for the treatment.

An Irish news agency, RTE also mentioned the role of the advanced technology in South Korea in an article on March 29. As apps that indicate where the infected people visited have been developed, the public can use them to prevent themselves from the infections by avoiding the places, and also the information of smart phone and credit card is used for epidemiological investigations. In addition, it also reported on the way of management of people who are under self-quarantine through an mobile phone application. People entering South Korea from abroad have to install the application regardless of whether they have the virus, so the officials can know not only if they comply the regulations of self-quarantine by tracking their movement and also if they show symptoms by asking them to report on the symptoms such as fever and cough.

Various measures conducted by the Korean government, such as tracing the contacts and infection path, aggressive and massive diagnostic test, and using the technology for epidemiological investigations, seem to be effective to flatten the curve of COVID-19. While the number of new confirmed cases increased by hundreds at the end of February, it has decreased a lot now. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Korea has a total of 10,635 infected people as of April 17, but the daily increase of the cases has remained below 50 for more than a week.

According to the Hawai Public Radio, South Korea appears to be a relative success story when it comes to dealing with COVID-19. On Friday, the number of the cases in the country passed 10,000. But even though South Korea has “flattened the curve” of the spread of the virus, authorities are still increasing their prevention measures.

Anyone who gets off an international flight landing in Seoul and who wants to stay in the city will need to get tested for the novel coronavirus. Right away — and even if they are not showing any symptoms.

Last Wednesday, the central government started mandatory quarantines for all arriving passengers to South Korea — and officials quickly demonstrated they are serious about the rules. At least eight foreign nationals from six countries have been deported after refusing to self-isolate for two weeks.

Covid-19 testing tents are one of the few signs of activity on Seoul’s streets these days. While the number of new confirmed cases across South Korea has stayed below 100 for three days in a row, these makeshift testing centres are spearheading efforts to contain new and worrying clusters of the virus.

In contrast to the panic-buying witnessed in other virus-hit countries, South Koreans are, for the most part, staying calm. There have been no reports of hoarding, and the only people queuing are either waiting to be tested or to buy face masks. Since South Korea confirmed its first case of the virus on 20 January, health authorities have turned to technology, testing and social distancing in an attempt to contain the outbreak. The WHO this week urged all countries to test aggressively, citing South Korea and Taiwan’s success at limiting coronavirus infections.

The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has tried to reassure a nervous public with daily briefings to explain how the virus has spread in the past 24 hours and what measures have been taken in response. It is, many people agree, a welcome show of transparency in uncertain times. The practice of sending smartphone alerts informing people of an infected person’s previous movements has sparked concerns about personal privacy, however, with the Korean human rights commission advising health authorities to withhold personal information unless it is essential to containing the virus.

South Korea has tested more than 250,000 people since the outbreak began, and has the capacity to test 15,000 people a day. It has conducted 3,692 tests per million people, compared with five per million in the US.

South Korea has also pioneered “drive-thru” tests, which allow people to be tested without leaving their vehicles – a system that also means health workers do not have to disinfect the premises after each test. One hospital in Seoul has gone a step further, developing a “walk-thru” test in which people sit inside a transparent cubicle while a medical worker collects a sample, using gloves attached to the front panel. This approach speeds up the testing process and minimises the risk to medical staff.

If a doctor suspects someone needs to be tested – if they have recently returned from China, had contact with someone known to be infected or belong to an at-risk group, for example – the procedure is done free of charge. People who do not belong to those categories but wish to be tested are charged 160,000 won (£105) and reimbursed if the result is positive, with the government footing the bill for any treatment they receive. In addition, people who are self-isolating, including those who have yet to test positive, each receive 454,900 won a month to cover basic living expenses.