SEOUL, March 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Tablet PCs and smartphones purchased by small business owners to keep track of customers as part of the country’s quarantine policy have become useless following the government’s recent policy change.
South Korea launched a mandatory entry log system using QR code-based registration at entertainment facilities in June 2020 to keep track of the whereabouts of COVID-19 patients.
But the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, a surging number of infections, and other significant changes in the quarantine environment prompted the government to abolish the use of all QR codes on March 1.
On secondhand store apps, a number of posts can be found selling smartphones or tablet PCs used for entry log system at cheap prices of less than 100,000 won (US$81.80).
“I’m pretty sure many small businesses are frustrated because of this,” said a 30-year-old restaurant owner surnamed Lee.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
