'Last Flower Viewing' Crowds Expected... This Weekend's 'Calm Before the Storm'

High-Intensity 'Social Distancing' Extended Until the 19th
Highway Traffic Returns to Normal Levels
Cherry Blossom Spots Crowded with Spring Visitors
Strong Winds Forecast Amid Warm Weekend Weather

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee, Gwanju Lee] The weather this weekend is expected to be mostly cloudy and windy but generally mild. As a result, many visitors may go out for the 'last flower viewing.' Concerns are growing as the government has extended the strict 'social distancing' measures until the 19th.

After a sharp decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, highway traffic volume has gradually increased since last month and has returned to normal levels this month. According to the National Police Agency and Korea Expressway Corporation on the 10th, the average daily highway traffic volume increased from about 3,978,000 vehicles in February to about 4,054,000 vehicles in the fourth week of March, and surged to about 4,424,700 vehicles in the first week of April. This figure is approximately 70,000 vehicles more than in January, before the full-scale spread of COVID-19. A police official analyzed, "This is due to the increase in spring outing vehicles."

Last weekend, when spring flowers were at their peak, spring flower spots nationwide, including Yeouido and Hangang Park in Seoul, were packed with visitors without any space to step. Searching for 'cherry blossoms' and 'flower viewing' on social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram and Facebook yielded thousands of posts. A hashtag criticizing this, '#SocialDistancingFailure,' also appeared. The 19th, the weekend after next, is 'Gogu,' a seasonal term when spring rain falls and spring flowers drop. This week is effectively the last chance to properly see spring flowers, so it is expected that visitors will continue to flock to mountains and parks nationwide.

While new domestic COVID-19 cases are on the decline, the global spread continues. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of the 9th, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide is 1,439,516, with 82,837 new cases. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "It can lead to an explosive large-scale outbreak at any time," and urged, "Please strictly observe social distancing this weekend and during the election process."

Meanwhile, most regions nationwide are expected to experience relatively mild weather around 15 degrees Celsius this weekend. Tomorrow morning's low temperature is forecast to be between 1 and 9 degrees, and the daytime high between 9 and 19 degrees. However, strong winds are expected, and there will be a large temperature difference between day and night. Fine dust levels are expected to be 'moderate' across all regions.

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