Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, there is a number of serious preventive measures have been taken in South Korea. In winter, the country ranked second in the number of cases in the world after China. But already in March, the incidence rate began to decline. The availability of testing and meticulous surveillance helped South Korea in defeating COVID-19 stands. Besides, you should also know that the country already had experience in fighting the Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2015. So, this fact can be one of the reasons for a good job.
- South Korean authorities have tightened regular flights with countries where the coronavirus situation became too serious.
- To enter Korea, people must provide a certificate issued no earlier than 48 hours before departure that tells their diagnosis situation. But in Korea, you will have to take coronavirus tests again and sit in quarantine for 14 days.
- In addition, Korea started also control the seaports as in airports. So, crews of ships of all countries go through the coronavirus test. The implementation of this measure was because of the recent incident of a Russian ship. The 19 people of this ship were diagnosed with coronavirus.
- In front of hospitals, you can see terminals with a survey that every individual must pass to enter inside. This survey will collect the information about: whether you were in contact with the infected; or in places; where the infected was; if there are any symptoms, and so on.
- Korea has opened mobile diagnostic centers around the country, where every day 20 thousand โsuspectsโ were checked for the virus. The results were reported to people within 24 hours.
- The thermal imaging cameras are everywhere in places like universities, shopping malls, or exhibition. In other cases, you should personally to measure your temperature and write it down with your name and phone number on the paper before entering establishments.
- The newest bus stops have appeared, equipped with air conditioning and free internet and systems that block the penetration of all kinds of viruses.
- The wearing of masks is mandatory, except when eating or drinking. In public places, almost everyone wears masks. You just canโt get into public transport without a mask.
- The government introduced a 2.5 social distancing level. It means some limitations of operations in restaurants, bakeries, franchise coffee chains, and indoor sports facilities. For instance, cafรฉs began to work only โtake-awayโ, and the opening hours of restaurants and other catering establishments had limited to 9 pm. In general, people did not leave their place of residence unnecessarily.
- To not provoke the spread of COVID-19, some parks along the Han River also had closed.
- 11 national cemeteries, across the country, will be restricted during the Chuseok holiday.
- There are also such measures as the prohibition of gatherings of 50 people indoors or more than 100 people outdoors.
- The kindergartens and elementary schools, all classes until at least September 11, were transferred to the โremoteโ version of education.
Attention!
The government informs the population as fully as possible about what is happening. For example, people can track information about infected people through apps and sites. It interestingly to know you that during the MERS outbreak, the authorities hid information from people โ no one knew how many people were infected and sick in the country, in which hospitals they were.
In Korea exist punishments for people who โhide the infectedโ or obstruct investigations and other measures by the quarantine authorities. Such violations provide for administrative penalties in the form of a fine, and in some cases โ up to criminal liability.
All along of coronavirus, more than 74 percent of representatives of multicultural families in Korea are experiencing economic difficulties. So, the government of South Korea has pledged to help such families. But how did the virus affect Korean people?
Consumption pattern
Covid-19 is changing the consumption patterns of the Korean people. Because of stress and depression, people are starting to buy expensive items to show off and feel good about themselves. For example, sales of luxury watches on Gmarket marked a 126 percent on-year increase. Clothes from high-end brands saw a 17 percent increase in sales, while sales of other luxury merchandise rose by 31 percent.
Mental health
According to a survey of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul citizensโ mental health along with physical health has deteriorated because of the prolonging coronavirus pandemic. And I think the results of this survey also characterize the situation in other countries as well. The main reasons are refraining from outdoor activities under social distancing measures, economic hardship, discomfort from wearing face masks, overall lethargy in daily routine, and the absence of human interaction. The survey also revealed that people feel more stressed about isolation, job loss, or pay cuts. One-third of the respondents stated that restricted leisure activities including travel bans were the main reason for mental stress.
