Yangcheon-gu '24-Hour AI Health Bot' COVID-19 Quarantine Application

AI-Based Self-Quarantine Consent Confirmation Service ‘Kakao Owl’ Launched and Operated on Kakao Channel

Quarantine participation consent can be easily entered or changed anytime via smartphone until the day after the positive notification date

COVID-19 quarantine living support funds provided to those registered for quarantine participation and who comply with quarantine, with household income at or below 100% of median income

Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced that starting this month, following the change from mandatory quarantine to quarantine recommendation for COVID-19, it will operate the city’s first ‘24-hour AI health bot service’ that allows residents to conveniently apply for quarantine participation anytime via smartphone.

According to the revised quarantine guidelines, COVID-19 confirmed cases can voluntarily apply for 5-day quarantine participation until the day after the positive notification date.

In particular, since quarantine participation is a condition for receiving living support funds, changes such as withdrawal or modification of participation applications may frequently occur, requiring prompt response. However, previously, applications or changes were only possible during health center working hours.

Accordingly, the district established the AI-based ‘Yangcheon-gu COVID-19 Kakao Owl (hereafter ‘Kakao Owl’)’ on the Kakao Channel to minimize inconvenience for residents by enabling quarantine participation applications anytime, 24 hours a day, via smartphone regardless of working hours or location.

The district sends a text message with the ‘Kakao Owl’ link to confirmed COVID-19 cases during the first epidemiological investigation by phone, allowing them to confirm their quarantine intention and finalize their quarantine decision by the day after the positive notification date.

Even if the confirmed case has responded by phone regarding quarantine participation, they can still change their intention by interacting with the health bot through the provided link within the application deadline. The district reflects the received changes and registers the confirmed list of quarantine participants in the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s COVID-19 Information Management System.

Besides quarantine participation registration, ‘Kakao Owl’ is expected to contribute to resolving confirmed cases’ questions through a 24-hour automatic response service covering quarantine behavior guidelines and frequently asked questions.

COVID-19 quarantine living support funds are available to those registered for quarantine participation and who comply with quarantine under the recommendation, with household income at or below 100% of the median income. Paid leave costs are supported only for workplaces with fewer than 30 employees. Applications must be submitted to the local community service center within 90 days from the day after the quarantine end date.

Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “We will continue to do our best to become a leading district in innovative administration by providing proactive, user-centered administrative services that reflect residents’ convenience and perspectives, such as ‘Kakao Owl.’”