On the night of the 30th, one day before Halloween, the World Food Street in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul was filled with many people who wanted to enjoy the festival even before the first phase of the gradual recovery of daily life was implemented. [박형기 기자]“Last year on Halloween Day, we couldn’t get together because of Corona 19. This year, we’re going to have fun all night with friends.”
On the night of the 29th and 30th, ahead of Halloween Day (October 31), the area around Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul was crowded with people pouring in. Although the government decided to implement ‘with Corona (step-by-step recovery)’ from the 1st, it seems that areas where young people gather, such as Itaewon and Hongdae, have returned to pre-COVID-19 situations from last weekend. Jeon Hae-cheol, 2nd deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Public Administration and Security) announced on the 31st that “We will take strict measures in accordance with relevant laws and regulations against foreigners who violate quarantine rules,” but failed to calm the atmosphere of ‘Retaliation Halloween’.
The atmosphere to enjoy Halloween started to heat up from the night of the 29th, the ‘fire gold’. As it was past 9 pm, people from the Netflix ‘Squid Game’ appeared everywhere in Itaewon’s World Food Street, dressed up as Spider-Man, Harry Potter, and Black Panther. Loud music played from the restaurants on both sides of the city, reminiscent of a festival site. While crowds of various colors were constantly pouring out of the subway station exit, the restaurant was served by staff dressed as ‘squid game’ hosts. Most of them wore masks, but when they entered one side of the alley, the quarantine rules were broken. It was an environment in which customers had no choice but to sit and eat food at a crowded table. In front of the store, people were seen lining up to put down their masks and smoke.
There were also people who wore makeup on their faces without wearing masks. Even the narrow alleys were packed with people, and people taking off their masks and talking or smoking mixed with passersby. Lee (31), who lives in Nowon-gu, Seoul, showed no concern, saying, “I’ve completed the second vaccination, so it’s okay.”
The city of Seoul cracked down on violations of quarantine rules in the Itaewon area over the weekend, but to no avail. At a table of four or more people, it was like checking whether vaccination was completed or asking for cooperation from business owners. Police blew a whistle after 10 o’clock, the time limit for closing business, and asked citizens to go home.
At the scene, a total of 230 people, including a police riot squad, were mobilized for guidance. Police stationed not only in Itaewon, but also in major entertainment districts such as Hongdae and Gangnam, began the task of examining business hours, whether the number of people was complied with, and the status of the entry and exit list. Sung Yun-seop, head of the food hygiene team at the Yongsan-gu Public Health Center, said, “We are mainly checking whether the number of people is strictly adhered to and whether the entry list is well recorded.
Not only young people but also tourists flocked to famous mountains all over the country, downtown amusement parks, and festival grounds on a sunny weekend. More than 9,000 and 7,000 hikers followed, respectively, to Songnisan and Woraksan in Chungcheongbuk-do, which were dyed with autumn colors. It is reported that close to 55,000 people flocked to Seoraksan National Park the previous weekend alone.
As these ‘retributive consumption, retaliatory gatherings, and retaliatory trips’ started even before the first phase of the gradual recovery of daily life, some voices say that we must not slow our vigilance. This is because the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has been in the 2,000 range for four days in a row since the 27th of last month. It is also predicted that the number will exceed 5,000 by the end of the year.
According to the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters (Bangdaebon) on this day, as of 00:00 on that day, there were 2,061 new confirmed cases of Corona. The number of confirmed cases in Korea was 756 in Seoul, 700 in Gyeonggi, and 157 in Incheon, accounting for 78.6% (1613) in the metropolitan area. “The number of confirmed cases has increased by nearly 30% compared to last week,” said Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. said Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol also warned, “A delta-type mutant virus is rampant, and about 30% of the population remains unvaccinated.”
Experts are ordering the booster shot (boost shot) to be more aggressively promoted. It is said that the case of Singapore, where the number of daily confirmed cases skyrocketed to 5,000 after the reorganization of Weed Corona, should be used as a counter-teacher. Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital warned, “If Israel is not benchmarked and proactively promoting the 3rd and 4th booster shots, the number of confirmed cases could exceed 5,000 and rise to more than 10,000 in the future.” The first phase of the gradual daily recovery begins at 5 am on the 1st. In the metropolitan area, up to 10 people can gather, and in non-metropolitan areas, up to 12 people can gather.
[문가영 기자 / 박홍주 기자 / 고보현 기자 / 김시균 기자]
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