Korea starts post-social distancing life with cautious hope

A quarantine worker in Mapo District, Seoul, disinfects a library, Wednesday. The library opened Wednesday as Korea ended “official” social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

Korea had its first day without “official” social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday, with many still wearing masks but cautiously hoping for a full return to normal.

The country didn't experience a mandatory lockdown for its citizens, as seen in other nations, but had a social-distancing campaign in place that banned meetings and gatherings for more than a month.

Starting Wednesday, the government replaced it with a set of hygiene guidelines for individuals and groups, all non-compulsory, in order to maintain COVID-19 precautions, and while some openly wonder whether these measures will work, the government insists that it will maintain them for the present.

Many public facilities were back in business ― the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art opened, allowing in visitors who made reservations in advance. Museum staff made sure all visitors wore masks and kept a two-meter distance from each other while touring the exhibits.

Outdoor parks, football field and tennis court were also allowed to open.

Local governments also revealed their own plans for the “post-social distancing campaign” period.

In Seoul, the Seoul History Museum, Seoul Museum and Sejong Center for Performing Arts all resumed partial operations, allowing a limited number of visitors. Seoul Metropolitan Library allowed members to borrow books via online reservations, and from May 26, people will be allowed into the library to browse books.

The city government said it is now accepting gathering requests for Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun Square ― meetings at the two venues were strictly banned during the social-distancing period.

Daegu Metropolitan Government, on the other hand, has chosen to keep official social distancing in place a bit longer, as it has seen lingering cases with unknown infection vectors during the last two weeks.

“I am happy that I can now freely go outside. But when I see people not wearing masks, I become worried about infection,” a Seoul resident said of her first day outside.

Korea has seen clear signs of a slowing in daily COVID-19 infections in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported only two new cases, both involving people who contracted the virus overseas. The total number of cases here is now 10,806, with 255 deaths reported, one up from the previous day.

However, the government warned citizens against lowering their guard completely.

“Ending the social-distancing campaign doesn't mean we return to where we were before the COVID-19 outbreak. We now have sets of personal and collective guidelines in order to keep us safe from the virus, and the government strongly encourages people to respect them,” Kim Gang-lip, vice health minister in charge of the government's response, said during a daily press briefing.

“People have just returned from holidays. We will now monitor the situation closely for the next 14 days to see if another massive outbreak occurs.”

The KCDC said two people were wearing electronic tracking bracelets.

These were introduced to better monitor people under self-quarantine, especially those who left their quarantine location. Despite privacy issue, the government introduced the measure targeting new arrivals from overseas last month. Some foreigners have been deported for violating the rules.