Has the complacency of 'K-quarantine' brought us down?
By Lee Eung-tae
I was struck by the news that the government of Israel has removed the order for people to wear masks in public places, allowing Israelis to walk around mask-free without concern. I envy all the Israelis now chatting and even dancing in public. More than half of the population has been vaccinated twice so they believe they have achieved the “herd immunity” all countries are striving for.
When I heard this news, I felt dismayed thinking about how few of us in Korea have received a second dose of the vaccine. When will we be able to socialize as before with friends and loved ones?
Will we see our “global village” divide into two distinct groups in the future? Countries with herd immunity will suffer no restrictions in their social and economic spheres. Such countries will wield a huge competitive edge over those, including Korea, who enjoy no such immunity. This thought makes me feel ashamed. While some countries are now preparing for life after COVID-19 in every respect, others are seemingly unable to plan for a post-COVID-19 world.
Seeing the bright smiles of Israeli citizens relieved from the horrors of infection prompted me to wonder angrily: Why are we still suffering in the dark, trembling in fear of infection?
I recalled the stages we moved through after the pandemic broke out. In the early stage, our efforts to overcome the scourge were absolutely praiseworthy. In all walks of life, we obeyed the government mandates for social distancing, curfews and the sweepingly painful closure of businesses in the services sector. It was poignantly touching to see nurses and doctors tearfully exhausting themselves in ICUs. I vividly remember a young nurse drenched in sweat removing her heavy virus-proof clothing. Her smile in spite of all the hardships and fear of infection moved us to tears. The sacrifices and unstinting efforts of all the medical workers allowed our “K-quarantine” measures to become an exemplary success. We trumpeted our virtues too soon, however, and seemed not to have noticed other countries competing to secure all available vaccines.
As the only way for us to be free from the pandemic is through collective immunization, our national priority should have included the procurement of vaccines. Instead, even the chief of the quarantine authorities was reported to have disregarded the importance of early vaccine procurement. During this critical period, we saw what amounts to a malevolent farce, as politicians and ministers wielded the power of their majority to pass a record number of bills to authorize supplementary budgets providing emergency support payments for the “sake of the people.” Hindered by political wrangling, we might well have lost precious time in the contest to secure vaccines via other countries.
As a result, to our shame, we are ranked very low among OECD nations in handling the pandemic.
If our nation's collective immunization process is slower than others, then clearly our businesses and public health will be greatly affected. The number of COVID-19 patients is increasing as some doctors are anxiously predicting a fourth wave of infections. Worse, more contagious and fatal variants are spreading around us. What if the flame of infection burns more intensely? We are all exhausted and nearly out of patience.
Any sensible person recognizes that the only way to escape from the hell of COVID-19 is universal immunization and that the priority must be to secure all kinds of vaccines as soon as possible at whatever the cost. In the present dark crisis, we need strong leadership to lead us into the light.
Lee Eung-tae (eungtae@gmail.com
) is a former high school teacher who taught English for 35 years.