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The night streets in downtown Seoul, which E-Daily visited last weekend, have become a nightmare. Every street was so crowded that people couldn’t walk at my own pace. Without wearing a mask, it would be indistinguishable from the downtown area before Corona 19 landed.
On the 20th, the streets of Hongik University entrance in Mapo-gu, Seoul were filled with people. Citizens enjoyed the weekend night as if they had no infection. The alley where restaurants and bars were gathered was so crowded that it was difficult to get in.
From 10 o’clock when the business hours of restaurants, pubs, and cafes ended, the streets became “busy”. Drunks who are reluctant to return to their homes occupied or roamed the streets of Hongdae, and found that they did not adhere to quarantine rules such as’meetings for more than 5 people’ and’maintaining distances’. Those who didn’t wear masks also stood out. Crowds were also crowded in front of the dark store or in the alley. They gathered around three to three and enjoyed entertainment until dawn, drinking take-out food and canned beer.
On the 17th, Seoul arranged a plan to check the quarantine regulations by placing managers of city and ward offices in 30 places, such as densely populated facilities, but it ended with an empty flame. On this day, officials from Mapo-gu Office went on patrol and guided them to “Enter the house” and “Keep a distance and leave”, but it seemed that a large crowd was gathering and struggling. Mr. A, an official at Mapo-gu Office, explained, “Because we cannot force citizens to disperse, we have no choice but to appeal for guidance on quarantine measures.”
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The situation was the same in downtown Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. On the 19th, people who came out to enjoy’Bulgum’ filled the downtown area. When I walked through a narrow alley, my shoulders touched each other with the person passing by. Waiting lines lined up in restaurants and bars.
The local residents expressed concern. An aunt (29) living around the downtown area said, “We are getting vaccinations and the number of people has increased rapidly as the weather started to warm up.” “It’s noticeably different from just a few months ago.” Kim Mo (26) also said, “It seems that a kind of tension has been relieved without worrying about the spread of Corona 19.” “Isn’t the 4th pandemic coming right after the 3rd pandemic?”
Frontline police officers also said they felt the number of reports due to drinking increased recently. A police official working at a district in Mapo-gu, Seoul said, “The number of reports of alcohol consumption, which was reduced due to corona regulation, is increasing again recently. I heard it increased to two digits,” he explained.
The quarantine authorities repeatedly emphasized that they are not in the stage of reassurance yet and asked for the quarantine rules to be followed. On the 22nd, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) chief feared that “if the infection spreads further due to an increase in the outbreak of the third epidemic, there is a risk of leading to a larger outbreak than before.”
Sohn Young-rae, head of the social strategy team at the Central Accident Control Headquarters, said, “The weather is warming and spring is clear, but the third outbreak continues and the risk of infection is still high. “Please always follow the quarantine rules so that you can do it.”