The corona test process continues even on Christmas Day… Mart·Department Store’Busted’ (2nd total)

Citizens’ steps to undergo tests continued at screening clinics installed across the country on the 25th, with more than 1,200 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19).

Major tourist destinations across the country were generally sloppy, but in the afternoon, crowds gathered around large supermarkets and department stores.

As most churches and cathedrals hold Christmas services and Masses online, religious facilities have become sluggish.

◇’Visit from morning’… Screening Clinic Test Continued

Citizens visited a screening clinic in Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province from this morning to undergo a corona 19 diagnostic test.

It wasn’t long enough to create a long line, but the medical staff were busy with continued visits to the examiner.

A temporary screening station in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, was also crowded with citizens who arrived and waited before the operation started.

A woman in her thirties said, “I have a mild sore throat, so I visited the laboratory on a day off. I came early because it is cold, but if I come late, I think I will wait too long.”

Even during lunchtime, which came for a short time in the afternoon, the medical staff seemed to be unable to rest properly due to disinfection of the laboratory and cleaning up the surrounding area.

A man in his 50s who visited the screening clinic said, “I have no symptoms, but there is a steamed part, so I came to have an examination.”

The Jeju Public Health Center, the Western and Eastern Public Health Centers, and Jeju National University Hospital, etc., were also visited by residents to undergo diagnostic tests at screening clinics located throughout the province.

Due to the pouring amount of diagnostic tests, the Institute for Health and Environment is divided into 3 groups of 4 people, 1 trillion units, and continues to work 24 hours a day regardless of holidays.

An official at a public health center said, “As the number of confirmed cases has increased rapidly recently, employees are having a lot of trouble,” he said.

◇ Pray for the citizens who used to go out in the afternoon

On this day, the downtown area in the main city center was generally quiet, but in the afternoon, the roads around the city began to become extremely congested as a line of cars crowded into marts and shopping malls.

Vehicles lined up at Haeundae Centum City department stores, Dongbusan outlets and shopping malls, and large warehouse-type stores in Suyeong-gu, and the surrounding roads were blocked.

There was no parking space in the parking lot, so a parking war broke out.

One citizen said, “It seems that traffic starts from Songjeong Tunnel with cars heading to the Dongbusan Outlet, so it takes 30 minutes longer to go home.”

In Gyeonggi-do, citizens who went out to hypermarkets and complex shopping malls instead of tightly closed national and public facilities continued.

In particular, crowds flocked to some stores selling wine and bread.

Yoon Mo said, “Before entering the mart, the line was long lined up from the place where the fever was checked, but there were more people than I expected in the interior.”

Some areas of the expressway in Gangwon-do also showed delays and congestion.

There was a congestion in the 6km section around Wonju IC on the Yeongdong Expressway towards Gangneung and 4km around the Naechon IC on both sides of the Seoul Yangyang Expressway.

◇’Tuk’ to visit religious facilities and major tourist spots nationwide

Most churches and cathedrals across the country held Christmas services and Masses non-face-to-face.

Busan, where the social distancing step 2.5 is being implemented, spent Christmas in a calm atmosphere.

At this time of year, believers who remembered the meaning of the birth and sharing of Jesus by giving Christmas Mass, watched the Mass online in accordance with the guidelines of the Catholic Busan Diocese.

The Catholic Diocese of Busan will hold all Masses non-face-to-face until the 3rd of the following month, including 3 Masses on this day.

The Busan Suyeongro Church, which was crowded with a busy parking process on weekends, also held a Christmas service online and a large parking lot was empty.

In Gwangju, some churches conducted face-to-face worship with a small number of them and received orders from the quarantine authorities to disband.

Major tourist destinations across the country were generally slack.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Parks Moaksan and Daedunsan have been closed since the 24th, and since then, visitors have cut off.

Some hikers who visited these mountains without knowing that they were shut down, after hearing an explanation from the management office staff, turned to regret.

On weekends, visitors flocked to Songnisan National Park and Seoraksan National Park, where fewer people went on a hike than usual.

From the previous day on, Jeju Island controlled access to six Jeju public tourist attractions, including Hallasan National Park, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, and Bijarim, and cancellation of accommodation reservations continued.

The sunrise spot on the east coast of the Gangwon region, which was closed according to the government policy, was also quiet.

Tourist attractions, including major beaches on the east coast, were generally well-controlled, but some of the beaches ignored the control line and were spotted by tourists everywhere, causing citizens to frown.

(Kim Seon-ho, Ryu, Soo-hyun, Byeon, Ji-cheol, Sang-won, Han Moo-seon, Hong In-cheol, Hong, In-cheol, Yang, Young-seok, Lee Sang-hak, Choi Jae-hoon, Kim Sang-yeon)

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