Quarantine Day 5 in South Korea: Korean Corona virus Drive Thru Exam in 10 minutes!
Updated: Result is negative. YAY!
The Korean government mandated that everyone who arrived from America should be tested for corona virus and self quarantining. Yesterday, we both tried to get tested but they were only letting one car, one tester, per day. So today I drove back to the test site today for my test.
Its a very simple test that took about 10 minutes to complete. No line, no waiting, a perfect start. I drove down this back road, behind the Seonghak stadium to the drive thru site. There were 4 stages to the test site. First was a checkpoint where you confirmed that you were there for testing. Second checkpoint checked your temperature, wrote it on a paper that contained quarantine and corona virus care instructions. After I got this paper I went to third checkpoint, one of two doctor operated stations. I pulled up and called the number on the board.
They had me drive up where we could see each other through the glass and I had a phone consultation with the doctor. First they confirmed my identity, my address, and my passport information. Once these were confirmed he asked if I had any symptoms. Its hard to say if what I feel is from illness or just the flight. As a Lyme disease survivor, international flights usually wipe me out. Plus with the pollution in Korea, my throat gets irritated a lot. But just in case I shared those symptoms.
The fourth and final checkpoint only took 2 minutes but it was the most painful.
I’ve been probed! Wow that smarts, my sinuses are still aching 3 hours later after the test. When you drive up there is a team of 3 ready to assist you. They confirmed my identity and then explained the testing procedure. Then they stuck a long thin swab so deep up my sinuses it felt like it was gonna poke my eyeball out. Head aching, eyes running, it was an experience like no other. After giving me a moment to collect my self and breathe again they did a quick, non painful swabbing of my throat.
After that I was free to go with a reminder to expect a text message within the next 2 days with my results.
Overall it was a good experience. To really give you the full picture I will be uploading a video detailing the experience. I felt the staff, given the situation, where very helpful, professional, and did their best to make me understand the process and procedures. Everything was very organized and I felt very safe in their hands. My head still hurts but it was worth it. Best of all it was free and only took 10 minutes. Thank you Korea for the great health care and your efforts to keep us all safe.
