Selfies Without Masks and Over 100 People Packed in Line... 'Stop COVID-19 Complacency'

Students Flock During March Break... Taking Selfies Without Masks
Rides' Safety Bars and Seats Not Disinfected Every Time
Dongdaemun Market Sees Hundreds of Merchants, Customers, and Delivery Workers Coming and Going

[Asia Economy Reporters Donghoon Jeong and Jeongyun Lee] Children in school uniforms could not hide their excited expressions. Normally, they would have to wait 1 to 2 hours, but that day their turn came in just about 10 minutes. Middle and high school students who visited Lotte World in Seoul during the 'March winter vacation' were enjoying the 'COVID-19 gap' to the fullest.

On Friday the 20th, the scene inside Seoul's largest amusement park was quite the contrast to the subdued outdoor atmosphere caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). High school student Park (18) said, "I am worried about COVID-19," but added, "If it weren't for times like this, I don't think I could comfortably ride popular attractions, so I came with my friends."

Of course, it was not comparable to normal times. According to Lotte World, the number of visitors in February and March this year decreased by about 40-50% compared to the same period last year. However, rumors that 'if you go now, you can enjoy it leisurely' spread, and on social networking services (SNS) such as KakaoTalk open chat rooms, group chat rooms were created and operated to find people to go to Lotte World together. In fact, most visitors to Lotte World that day were young students. The reason seems largely due to the extended vacation and academy closures, which gave them 'more free time.'

Popular rides had lines with more than 100 people standing tightly packed. Because the waiting area was narrow, the queue formed an 'L' shape. The rides completed a cycle every 8 to 10 minutes and took on new students. Disinfection of safety bars or seats, which many people repeatedly touched, was not done every time. Hand sanitizers were also not placed at the exits. However, a Lotte World official explained, "Employees frequently disinfect the rides," and "Hand sanitizers are placed and operated throughout the amusement park, including snack corners." Lotte World uses thermal cameras to check visitors' temperatures from the entrance. If a staff member or visitor is detected with a fever by the thermal camera, their temperature is rechecked with a thermometer to determine whether they can enter.

On the same day, a situation far from social distancing was unfolding at Dongdaemun General Market. Shops were packed tightly together, and the passageways where people could move were less than 1.5 meters wide. Market vendors, delivery workers, and citizens frequently moved through the narrow aisles, resulting in close contact between people. One vendor said, "I have not yet heard of any confirmed COVID-19 cases near Dongdaemun Market, and since the situation has lasted for a long time, people have become somewhat indifferent to wearing masks or placing hand sanitizers." Meanwhile, health authorities are emphasizing strengthened 'social distancing' measures by restricting operations of religious facilities, some indoor sports facilities, and entertainment venues for fifteen days until the 5th of next month to prevent sporadic cluster infections.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.