Has 생활방역 Properly Settled... Only 1 in 4 People Practice 'Social Distancing'

On the 6th, when the "Everyday Social Distancing" began, commuters were walking near Gwanghwamun Intersection in Seoul. From this day, various facilities that had been closed due to COVID-19 reopened, and events and gatherings were also permitted. However, "Everyday Social Distancing" does not mean a complete return to the previous normal or the end of COVID-19. The health authorities emphasized basic personal quarantine rules such as ▶ staying home for 3 to 4 days if sick ▶ maintaining a healthy distance of two arm lengths. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been over two weeks since the implementation of "physical distancing in daily life," a measure to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) while carrying out everyday activities. However, only one in four people practiced maintaining a 2-meter distance when meeting others, and the adherence rate to some personal quarantine guidelines was found to be only 20-30%.

A team led by Professor Yoo Myung-soon from the Graduate School of Public Health at Seoul National University, commissioned by Korea Research, conducted the "5th National Perception Survey on COVID-19" from the 13th to the 15th, surveying 1,000 men and women aged 18 and over, and announced these results on the 22nd.

Among the daily quarantine rules, the highest adherence rate in the past week was "wearing a mask when going out" (78.3%). Handwashing (68.7%) and cough etiquette (63.8%) also exceeded 60%. Following these were "canceling meetings or not attending scheduled events" (54.5%), "refraining from using multi-use facilities" (51.0%), and "refraining from using public transportation" (43.4%).

On the other hand, some guidelines had adherence rates in the 20-30% range. "Maintaining a 2-meter distance when meeting people" was the lowest at 24.3%. "Ventilating at least twice a day" (29.8%), "refraining from going out" (33.2%), and "resting for 3-4 days when sick" (38.4%) were also relatively low.

The most difficult type of social distancing to practice was "avoiding the use of public transportation" (23.6%). "Maintaining a 2-meter distance when meeting people" (19.6%) and "resting for 3-4 days when sick" (11.8%) ranked second and third, respectively.

Professor Yoo pointed out, "Daily quarantine is about creating norms and culture beyond guidelines, so active and multifaceted promotion is necessary."

51.4% of the public judged the timing of the transition to daily quarantine as premature. This was slightly ahead of the 48.6% who responded that it was timely.

The places where individuals met or talked without masks in the past week were mostly restaurants and cafes at 51.5%, followed by others (18.7%), workplaces or schools (16.4%), and entertainment venues such as bars and clubs (4.1%).

The average number of people met or talked with without masks within a 2-meter distance the previous day was 4.1. 75.8% of respondents answered "fewer than 5 people," 20.6% said "5 to 10 people," and 3.6% said "more than 10 people."

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