15,300 Visitors to Jeju During Lunar New Year Holiday... COVID-19 Prevention Emergency

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Despite the government's request to refrain from traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it is expected that more than 153,000 people will visit Jeju, far exceeding expectations.

According to the Jeju Tourism Association, 31,489 people visited Jeju on the 10th, a day before the Lunar New Year holiday, followed by 36,326 on the 11th, 28,136 on the 12th, and 25,135 on the 13th. On the 14th, based on the combined reservation status of flights and ships, it is projected that about 32,000 people will visit Jeju.

In total, approximately 153,000 visitors, including those returning home and tourists, are expected to visit Jeju over the five days from the 10th to the 14th. This is about 10,000 (7%) more than the 143,000 people forecasted by the Jeju Tourism Association on the 3rd.

Jeju is on high alert for quarantine. Throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, many tourists crowded major tourist spots, restaurants, and cafes. At popular restaurants and cafes, tourists were seen waiting in long lines, indicating that social distancing was not being properly observed.

In Jeju, concerns are rising as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the Seoul metropolitan area has increased over the past week. From the 6th to the 12th, the weekend period, 5 out of 12 confirmed cases in the province were linked to the metropolitan area.

The provincial government has designated the Lunar New Year holiday as a special quarantine inspection period and is mobilizing autonomous police and personnel from various departments to conduct inspections to maintain quarantine measures. The province plans to apply the 'One-Strike Laws' without exception upon detection of any violations of quarantine rules.

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