"Not Going to See the Sunrise"... Self-Upgrade of COVID-19 Social Distancing

Reference photo

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "I have welcomed the New Year every year by watching the sunrise from the mountain summit, but this year I plan to stay at home."

Jo Hyung-eun (30), an office worker living in Seo-gu, Gwangju, has enjoyed watching the sunrise from the summit of Mudeungsan National Park every January 1st. He had planned to watch the sunrise with acquaintances again this year, but ultimately decided to cancel the event. Since hundreds of people were expected to visit the mountain summit, concerns about COVID-19 infection were high. He said, "I have wished for New Year’s hopes while watching the sunrise for 10 years, but this year I decided to take a break," adding, "Instead, I will soothe my regrets by watching the rising sun from home."

As the spread of COVID-19 continues, there is a growing atmosphere of refraining from year-end and New Year’s sunrise and sunset trips. Since the risk of COVID-19 infection increases when crowds gather at popular tourist spots, tourists themselves have started to strengthen social distancing. With new COVID-19 cases hovering around 1,000 daily and recently confirmed cases of highly transmissible variant strains domestically, local governments are also rushing to cancel sunrise events.

According to local governments on the 28th, Gangneung City had planned to operate a scaled-down local sunrise event but decided on the 9th to cancel the event entirely and broadcast the sunrise live on YouTube. The Jeju Seongsan Sunrise Festival will not be held this year either. Jeju Island plans to ban access to tourist attractions such as Seongsan Ilchulbong and Hallasan, as well as national parks, to block visitor access. A Yeosu City official also stated, "We decided earlier this month to cancel the sunrise festival held at Hyangiram."

Lee Hong-geon (29), who runs a restaurant in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, said, "I had planned a sunrise trip to Yeosu but gave up," adding, "Due to the impact of COVID-19 on business, I wanted to gain strength by watching the rising sun, but I was worried that if I went to a crowded place and tested positive for COVID-19, it would cause even greater damage to my business." He ultimately decided to receive New Year’s energy through sunrise videos.

In response to the recent spread of COVID-19, the government limited accommodation reservations to within 50% of rooms to restrict year-end and New Year’s travel or tourism instead of raising the life quarantine level to stage 3. Accordingly, most lodging facilities near sunrise spots have canceled existing reservations or are not accepting additional bookings. A pension operator in Gangneung explained, "We are sending cancellation texts or making calls to guests who had booked to stay during the year-end," adding, "There are vacant rooms due to cancellations, but we are not accepting additional guests because of the reservation limit."

However, some lodging facilities have violated these quarantine guidelines and accepted reservations. A pension in Dolsan-eup, Yeosu, said, "Out of four rooms, one is vacant due to cancellation," adding, "Since gatherings of five or more are prohibited, we will accept reservations as long as the number does not exceed that." A pension in Sokcho, Gangwon, also said, "All five rooms were fully booked, but recently one was canceled, so reservations are possible," adding, "If you contact us before the room is taken, you can make a reservation."

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