South Korea has installed innovative bus shelters to fight against the new coronavirus, equipped with thermal cameras and ultraviolet lamps to allow their disinfection.
Ten high-tech bus stops have been installed in a northeastern district of Seoul to protect passengers from the rain, the summer heat but also the virus.
Before entering these bus shelters, travelers must stand in front of a thermal imager and the door will only open if their temperature is below 37.5 degrees Celsius.
Automatic disinfection
Another camera intended for children has been installed below. Inside this bus stop that looks like a large glass cabin, the air conditioning system is fitted with ultraviolet lamps intended to kill the virus while cooling the temperature. Each of these bus shelters costs around 100 million won (71,000 euros).
A hydroalcoholic gel dispenser has also been installed. Users are advised to wear a mask and to keep a distance of at least one meter from other passengers.
“We have installed all the anti-coronavirus measures we could think of,” explained Kim Hwang-yun, one of the managers of the Smart Shelter project.
A model in crisis management
Since their installation last week, each bus shelter has been used by around 300 to 400 people daily, Kim said. Passengers can make sure they don’t miss their bus with a screen that displays estimated arrival times.
“I really feel safe here because I know the people around me have been temperature controlled just like me,” said Kim Ju-li, a 49-year-old housewife, using for the first time this innovative bus stop.
South Korea was in February the second country most affected by the epidemic, after China where it had appeared. But the South Korean authorities have managed to bring the situation under control through a very thorough strategy of testing and tracing the contacts of infected people, without even imposing mandatory confinement.
South Korea is often cited as a model in the management of the health crisis, with its program “screening, testing and treatment”.
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