Typhoon Hits the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Temporary Screening Clinics Halt, Nopo Restaurants Continue Operating

Seoul Temporarily Suspends Operation of 25 COVID-19 Screening Centers
Operating Screening Clinics Also Quiet... "Could Get Crowded in the Afternoon"
Old Restaurant Puts Out Chairs Amid Typhoon... 41 Typhoon-Related Reports Across Seoul

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 6th, 25 temporary screening clinics for COVID-19 in Seoul were closed on that day. On the 5th, the temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul Express Bus Terminal removed the Mongolian tent, and it was quiet as no people visited.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

[Asia Economy Reporters Byungseon Gong and Gyumin Oh] With news that Typhoon Hinnamnor, the 11th typhoon, would affect the Seoul metropolitan area, the city showed various scenes. Temporary screening clinics quickly took down their tents, while some long-established restaurants continued to operate.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 6th, 25 temporary COVID-19 screening clinics operating in tent form in Seoul were suspended. In Incheon, three temporary screening clinics will not operate for three days on the 5th, 6th, and 7th. In Seoul, a total of 91 clinics were operating, including 66 regular screening clinics and 25 temporary screening clinics. Due to the typhoon, about 27% of the clinics stopped operating.

On the 5th, the temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul Express Bus Terminal was quiet. Usually, people line up in long queues waiting for testing, but on this day, there was no line, and only two people were receiving COVID-19 tests. A clinic official explained, "The closing time was moved up from 9 PM to 6 PM, but about 150 people visited the temporary screening clinics, which is nearly half compared to usual weekdays. There was no line, so we folded up the Mongolian tent that was set up by the roadside."

Even the screening clinics that operated normally had relatively few people. As of 9:30 AM that day, only 2 to 3 people were waiting for testing in front of Seongbuk District Public Health Center. Although the temporary screening clinics were closed, people did not head to the regular screening clinics. A health center official said, "Usually, about 50 people come for testing in the morning, but only 20 came that day. If the weather clears up in the afternoon, more people are expected to come."

On the other hand, long-established restaurants frequented by office workers were operating despite the typhoon. The day before, long-established restaurants in the Euljiro area of Jung-gu, Seoul, set up tents and placed tables and chairs on the street despite the rain and wind. However, due to fewer customers, they did not place as many tables and chairs on the street as before. They had not taken additional safety measures such as tying down signs or tents that could be blown away by the wind. An employee at a pub in Euljiro said, "Since the weather was similar to usual, we decided to operate the store. We plan to open normally from 12 PM on the 6th as well."

Meanwhile, Hinnamnor made landfall near Geoje City, Gyeongnam Province, at around 4:50 AM that day. Following Hinnamnor’s landfall, 41 reports of traffic signal damage and other incidents were received across Seoul, but no casualties occurred. However, as of 6 AM that day, a man was reported missing after falling into a stream under Namcheon Bridge in Ulju County, Ulsan City.

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