There is a sign at Moa Korean BBQ and Bar in uptown Charlotte that reads “Coming Soon,” and when it opens in a few weeks, there will be cameras inside scanning customers’ temperatures.
While the state may allow this eatery to serve food with paper menus and social distancing measures in place, owner Sean Kim wants to go a step further. He’s installing a thermal-imaging camera and screen at the hostess stand.
“That way, the customers coming in feeling a little better,” Kim said. “It doesn't detect everything, but there's a little relief to sit down and enjoy a dinner.”
Uptown restaurant sets up thermal-imaging camera to scan peoples’ temperatures https://t.co/lAhRhaHUdF #COVID19
— DaShawn Brown (@DaShawnWSOC9) May 16, 2020
The camera is set to give an alert if it scans someone’s temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature can be adjusted in the system.
He already installed a camera at his restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina, where every staff member is screened as they continue to do takeout only. He said he knows there might be some pushback from customers, but Kim said he's just trying to find ways to open safely.
The idea came from how South Korea is handling the coronavirus pandemic, and how the country is opening back up.
"In South Korea, in public places, it's mandatory to have these thermal-imaging cameras," Kim told WSOC-TV.
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