[Photo] Screening Clinic Lit Up Even on Christmas Eve... The Second COVID Christmas

On the 24th at 7 PM, the COVID-19 screening clinic in front of Changwon General Bus Terminal is lit up. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Trainee Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the evening of the 24th, around 7 PM, at the COVID-19 screening clinic in front of Changwon General Bus Terminal, Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. Where did the joyful party with family, who should be together, go? The ‘cold’ warmth emitted by a portable electric heater, faces barely able to hide their worries, people hiding even their hearts inside white ‘spacesuits’ and ‘helmets’... Inside and outside the temporary tent were filled with ‘tension.’

Around 7 p.m. on December 24th, in front of Changwon Intercity Bus Terminal's COVID-19 screening clinic. Medical staff are carefully conducting tests on citizens who visited the testing site. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

The medical staff, who had been swabbing nostrils all day, were still swabbing late into the night. Though they must have been exhausted by the daily flood of people and annoyed by the unprecedented situation they had been dealing with for nearly two years, they did not forget their work.

Around 7 p.m. on December 24th, in front of the Changwon Intercity Bus Terminal COVID-19 screening clinic, medical staff were enduring the cold with an electric heater between them. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

There were about ten medical staff on site. Even on Christmas Eve, when the coldest weather of the year arrived, the only things keeping their body heat were electric heaters and a sense of duty. Moreover, to block the ‘virus chances’ gathering, the tent doors had to remain open, so there was nothing to comfort their coldness and fatigue.

At around 7:40 PM on December 24, in front of the Changwon Intercity Bus Terminal COVID-19 screening clinic, citizens are lined up to get tested for COVID-19 infection. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

It has already been two years since wrestling with COVID-19. Even as variant viruses rage and tighten their grip on humanity, the medical staff, like the will of the citizens, are targeting those invisible ‘monsters.’ Just like the ‘Ghostbusters’ who catch ghosts.

After 8 PM, the lights went out and the tent was closed. The next morning, it will be opened again to continue the war against COVID-19. Perhaps the tent and COVID-19 share the same fate. Because of the thought that when the ‘monster’ leaves our side, the tent’s light might also go out.

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