How QR Codes Helped During the COVID 19 Pandemic
Edited by Spencer Pines
Updated September 5, 2026·5 min read
While it was years ago at this point, many still hold painful memories regarding the COVID 19 pandemic. It was a tough time for pretty much the entire world. Schools closed, stores went online only, work became from-home, and basic social communication seemed like an impossible task to maintain.
It was definitely rough, but we were able to get through it with our compassion, ingenuity, and technology. One such piece of technology that proved especially helpful during the pandemic was QR codes.
In this piece I will go over some of the ways QR codes made life during the pandemic easier and how they can still be used in many of these fields.
So let’s dive right in!
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What is a QR code?
A QR code is an encoded image containing data that can be scanned by a smart device, like a phone or a tablet. They typically appear as small squares made up of even smaller black and white squares or dots, almost like a mixed-up chess board, although appearances can be greatly customized.
Scanning these codes can allow you to access a variety of digital and online content, like websites, text documents, shared files, various forms of contact information, and more. The technology is free to use and codes are easy to create through a service like QR Code Developer.
How were QR codes helpful during COVID?
During the COVID 19 global pandemic, from 2020 to 2022, QR code usage exploded worldwide. These small square codes for many went from a little novelty to an essential part of doing business and communicating with others.
The hands-free nature of scanning a QR code made them ideal for a period of time where we were all trying our best to keep our distance from each other, and made everyday tasks easier to conduct while remaining socially distant.
Below are just some of the ways QR codes helped out during the pandemic:
Contact tracing
Perhaps the most prominent and elaborate usage of QR codes during the pandemic was as a method of contact tracing, primarily in Japan, China, and Australia. The way this worked was by having guests or customers of a location check in by scanning a QR code.
This code would keep track of anyone who entered the location and give updates to any necessary parties, like other guests who attended at the same time or the employees and owners themselves, if someone who checked in tested positive for the virus.
This allowed governments and businesses alike to keep better track of outbreak areas and inform the public about any potential concerns.
These check in programs, along with other emergency response efforts, allowed Japan, China, and Australia to become some of the earliest countries to be declared safe from the pandemic.
Vaccine management
Along with tracking who entered a specific location and if they tested positive, QR code tracking would allow the public to know the vaccination status of another citizen once the vaccine had been made readily available.
This let spaces and individuals alike know who was and wasn’t vaccinated, creating for a more seamless transition back into regular everyday life post COVID.
Information sharing
The hands free nature of QR codes also made them ideal for sharing vital information with others during the pandemic. There’s only so much text you can fit on a piece of paper, and getting them into peoples’ hands is a whole other struggle.
QR codes allowed citizens to quickly scan a code and stay up to date on current events regarding the community and the pandemic.
Payment
One of the most popular uses for QR codes now is as a quick and easy payment method, a practice that boomed during the pandemic. Paying for goods can be pretty difficult when you’re trying to stay 6 feet apart from others, especially if you’re dealing with cash or cards.
But QR codes allowed users to send and receive payments without having to pull out their wallets and hand a cashier their cards or cash. They could simply scan the code, transfer the funds from a safe distance, and be all set!
Social communication
Aside from the virus itself, perhaps the worst part of the pandemic that sticks in people's minds even years later was that feeling of social isolation. Humans are social animals, and telling them all that they now had to stay 6 feet apart from their friends and loved ones, avoid going to events, and stay inside, was extremely difficult for most.
While not a 1 to 1 replacement for the real thing, online spaces allowed us all to maintain contact with our loved ones, whether it be through a video game, like Animal Crossing or Among Us, social media, like TikTok and Instagram, or other channels of communications.
Being online spaces, these were extremely easy to make available and shareable via QR codes, which ended up keeping citizens in contact with their loved ones and even making new friends in these virtual playgrounds.
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Primary source
- National Library of Medicine
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How were QR codes used during the COVID 19 pandemic?
A: QR codes were used as a hands free way to communicate with others, share information, stay up to date on any outbreaks, and pay for goods during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Q: Do I need to hire someone to make my QR codes?
A: No. QR codes can be made by yourself for free through a service like QR Code Developer.
Q: Do I need to download anything to scan QR codes?
A: While QR scanner apps are available for mobile devices, they are not necessary. Most modern smart devices are perfectly capable of scanning codes right from the built-in camera app.
Q: What devices can scan QR codes?
A: Most modern smart devices with both a built-in camera and an internet connection can scan QR codes and access the content within. This includes smart phones, tablets, and even some handheld gaming consoles.
Q: Are QR codes safe?
A: While there are some risks in using QR codes, they are relatively safe.
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