[WORD_ON_THE_WEB] 'QR codes are kind of useless now'

A visitor to Lotte Department Store's main branch in central Seoul checks in using a QR code. [YONHAP]

The government is considering ending the current digital check-in system based on QR codes or calling designated numbers. Currently, QR scanners are installed at many venues in Korea to record the details of people visiting to facilitate the tracking and tracing of Covid-19 infections, but as the government looks to further relax social distancing regulations, that could change.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said in an interview with KBS on Monday that her agency is considering ending the digital check-in system as it has become less practical due to the recent surge in Covid-19 cases.

Jeong, however, said that the QR-based vaccine pass system is still required. She also insisted that a slow, phased relaxation of quarantine regulations is necessary, emphasizing the need to consider every aspect carefully and come up with the best solution.

#what's_the_point?
“It’s true that QR codes are kind of useless now, as we have to do the epidemiological trackings by ourselves anyway."
“The government has given up on tracking the cases, so there’s no need for access lists now.”

#no_vaccine_passes
“The number of new Covid cases is off the charts despite the vaccination rate being this high. I feel like the vaccine pass system is useless.”
“I understand the need to protect the unvaccinated, but is the vaccine pass system necessary in this situation? Everyone is getting infected, whether they’re vaccinated or unvaccinated.”

#efficient_countermeasures
“Some are saying that the government has given up, but how is the government expected to handle all this? It’s time for them to implement efficient countermeasures.”
“It’s not like they haven’t thought this through. The government promised to protect the medical system. They must have some solution thought out."

BY LEE SI-YEOUNG, YOO JI-WOO [yoo.jiwoo@joongang.co.kr]