This Summer, Beach Umbrellas at Seaside Resorts Also Practice 'Social Distancing'

Busan City Holds Interagency Meeting on 'Preparing Safe Beaches' in Response to COVID-19

Haeundae Beach, Busan. Busan City plans to establish and implement COVID-19 prevention measures at the beach in preparation for the summer vacation season. [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] As the summer vacation season approaches, Busan, which boasts world-class beach tourist destinations, is facing deeper concerns due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Busan City announced that ahead of the opening of Busan area beaches in July, on the 17th at 4:30 PM, a '2020 Beach Operation Report Meeting' will be held in the 26th-floor conference room of City Hall, where related city departments, district offices, and relevant agencies will come together to discuss.

This meeting focused on checking the quarantine status of each beach management office due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 caused by the gathering of vacationers at the beaches. Additionally, it will review safety, traffic, and security measures, improvements and maintenance of various facilities such as restrooms, foot baths, and shower rooms, as well as management measures for fees related to accommodations, food, parasols, and tubes, to ensure smooth opening and operation of the beaches.

At the meeting, Busan City plans to discuss quarantine measures tailored to the characteristics of each beach by reflecting the results of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ beach officials meeting held in Busan on the 11th and related guidelines.

Each beach plans to implement COVID-19 response teams, install parasols at 2-meter intervals, refrain from events such as opening ceremonies on the beach, operate focused campaigns for social distancing and continuous promotion on the beach, strengthen facility disinfection, and operate contact information drop boxes. In particular, Haeundae Beach plans to additionally establish an on-site parasol reservation system and an electronic approval system for beach operations.

Byun Sung-wan, Acting Mayor of Busan, said, “This year, beach operations will focus on responding to COVID-19,” adding, “In addition to the current measures related to COVID-19, we plan to respond thoroughly by comprehensively considering additional guidelines from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the trend of COVID-19 spread.”

Busan’s Haeundae and Songjeong Beaches will operate from June 1 to August 31, while Songdo, Gwangalli, Dadaepo, Ilgwang, and Imrang Beaches will operate from July 1 to August 31.

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