Arctic and Antarctic Scientific Bases Make All-Out Efforts to Prevent COVID-19 Infiltration

Sejong Science Base panorama. (File photo)

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Polar Research Institute announced on the 13th that they are making every effort, including a complete ban on external contact, to prevent the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) from entering the polar regions.

Since March, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has been controlling all external visits to the Antarctic King Sejong Station and Jang Bogo Station and has completely prohibited contact with surrounding stations. They have also sufficiently stocked quarantine supplies such as protective suits, masks, and disinfectants to enable a swift response in case of infection.

In particular, due to the occurrence of COVID-19 cases in Punta Arenas, Chile, the gateway city to King Sejong Station (early March), the resupply schedule originally planned for April was postponed to after September. The icebreaker research vessel Araon came to Jang Bogo Station via New Zealand for resupply activities, but to block any possible virus inflow, cargo handling was conducted without physical contact between the station personnel and the Araon crew.

On the Araon, the scheduled crew and researcher rotation in February was canceled, so the existing crew members continue to perform their duties. Additionally, to prevent infection during port calls, the planned five-day stay in New Zealand was completed within two days, and the vessel is currently returning to Korea.

The Arctic Dasan Station, located in the Norwegian territory of the Svalbard archipelago, has completely suspended summer research activities due to the spread of COVID-19, and plans to adjust the research schedule for the second half of the year while monitoring the situation.

Close cooperation is also taking place among countries conducting polar activities to prevent the inflow of COVID-19. The Arctic Science Summit Week, the largest international event in Arctic research originally scheduled to be held in Iceland, was held online from the 27th of last month to the 2nd of this month. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the largest academic conference in Antarctic research, decided to fully cancel the large-scale academic event that was scheduled to be held in Hobart, Australia, this July.

Yoo Eun-won, Director of Marine Development at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "The polar regions are isolated and may be considered relatively safe from COVID-19, but conversely, if one person becomes infected, it could lead to an uncontrollable and dangerous situation. As a consultative party to the Antarctic Treaty and a formal observer of the Arctic Council, our country will actively participate in international efforts to keep the polar regions COVID-19 free."

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