New Website Identifies Coronavirus ‘Safe’ Businesses

Since the country reported its first coronavirus case on Jan. 20, multiple digital services that provide information on the country’s coronavirus outbreak have emerged in the market. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak, an online service that provides information about areas where disinfection has been completed is growing in popularity.

South Korean software developer The DASH said Saturday that it has launched a beta service to help small business owners struggling with COVID-19.

The service provides users with free information about businesses that have been disinfected and are safe to visit.

Users can search for businesses they want to visit, and check whether they have quarantine status, the frequency of quarantines, and the date of the last quarantine.

If a quarantine is not confirmed, contact information will be provided so that users can call directly to check.

For the convenience of users, The DASH provides information on similar businesses that have been disinfected nearby at the bottom of the results.

When businesses that have completed a quarantine submit a certificate of disinfection to The DASH, the site will be updated to reflect this change.

A certificate of disinfection means a certificate issued by a government-certified quarantine company or a certificate issued by a disinfection association.

The participation of business owners is essential to secure objective data for the service.

The DASH explained that it is safe to trust the service because it is being updated based on a public certificate of quarantine provided by the owner who completed the quarantine.

There were 80 companies that had completed quarantine inspections registered on the service as of Saturday.

Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)