Experiencing Seoul during COVID-19
South Korea was one of the first countries outside of China to be seriously impacted by COVID-19. As at 16 March, a total of 8,236 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Of these, 75 people have died and 1,173 have been discharged. In Daegu, the hardest hit area, 6,066 have been tested positive.
Nationally, the situation peaked on 29 February, with 909 people testing positive. Since 12 March, the number of new cases has slowed significantly, and since 15 March we are now in double digits of new cases per day.
It’s still early days, but the situation appears to be showing signs of being contained. Fingers crossed, and we’re certainly not relaxing yet.
To their credit, the government has responded strongly and has rolled out an impressive regime of contact tracing, testing, and isolation. At the same time, they have also acted to ensure the supply of masks to the health care industry and to the community in general (more on this below).
How has South Korea managed to “flatten the curve”? In my view they’ve achieved this through a mix of good policy, effective mobilisation, and a good amount of luck. When clusters were identified, the government aggressively conducted contact tracing and testing, and quickly isolated the affected individuals. This has enabled them to rapidly contain the spread of the virus to prevent it moving beyond the cluster and into the community. I also believe there was a good amount of luck involved, because the major outbreaks have been in Daegu, which is a more remote location, and not in Seoul (which is a densely populated city with slightly more than 10 million people). The situation could have been very different had the major outbreaks occurred here. To date, all of the major clusters have been definable and therefore containable, which isn’t always the case.
Aside from the policy-level aspects of managing the COVID-19 situation, what’s been fascinating to me has been the impact that the event has had on Koreans.
How are people coping? How has life changed? As the virus spreads to other regions, what lessons from South Korea could you apply as you orientate to COVID-19 affecting your own community?
In this article I’ll answer some of the key questions people may have about what it’s currently like in Seoul in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic. I’ll also share a few things we can all learn from how South Koreans have handled the situation.
For background, I’m a crisis management consultant that’s been living and working in Asia for the past 18 years. I’ve guided clients through SARS, Avian Flu, Swine Flu and MERS (I missed Ebola). Recently I’ve been supporting clients in Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea to orientate to, and protect themselves against, COVID-19. I’ve been in Seoul for the past three weeks focusing on the problems at hand here.
Is there widespread fear and panic?
No. Everyone in Seoul is generally getting on with their lives.
There is certainly concern where cases hit closer to home, and people realise how easily they could be impacted, but in general people are calm and focused on the day-to-day. In context there have been very few cases in Seoul, and they’ve been definable (for example in specific facilities and among specific groups). This makes it easier for people to frame the risk.
There has certainly been some fear and panic within the expatriate community, which may be in part because a significant amount of the public communication here is in Korean. If you can’t speak it or read it, you will miss a lot of what’s happening and will be left with an indistinguishable mix of facts and rumours spread within your own (often insulated) communities. Echo chambers aren’t the best place to sit out a crisis.
I’m aware of some expatriates fleeing South Korea in late February, returning to the US. I wonder how they feel about that decision now.
One of the challenges as a foreigner is the government emergency alerts, which are sent multiple times per day to your phone. These are location based, so you’re sent specific messages based on where you are at the time. This is a fantastic service, but the messages are in Korean, so as a foreigner new to the language it’s difficult to know what they mean or how you should respond. Apparently Android phones automatically translate these announcements. My iPhone doesn’t.
Are people wearing masks?
You betcha they are.
It’s quite rare to see people without masks. After being here for almost a month I’m now surprised when I see someone not wearing a mask. I’m almost at the point where I will unconsciously adjust my distance from anyone who isn’t masked up.
For those people that aren’t wearing masks, it’s not 100% clear to me why they don’t. There are no doubt a range of cultural nuances that I don’t understand as a foreigner. That said, when I ask local people why some people aren’t wearing masks, they aren’t sure either. “Maybe they’re trying to show they’re not scared,” was one response.
Many foreigners don’t wear masks. I took a walk around the lake on the weekend. I only noticed a few Koreans not wearing masks (out of literally hundreds of people). I only saw two foreigners on my stroll, and neither were wearing masks. The few times I’ve seen foreigners in shopping malls they weren’t wearing masks. I’ve seen similar reports coming out of Hong Kong.
From my own perspective, if the locals are wearing masks, then I’ll wear a mask. When they stop wearing theirs, I’ll stop wearing mine. I don’t see it as being a complicated decision.
As I mentioned in my last “lessons learned” article, there are people I’m working with every day whose faces I’ve never seen. It’s a bit weird, but you get used to it. As they say, the eyes are the windows to the soul.
Are people working from offices?
Yes. Work from home is not a common concept in South Korea.
The company I’m working with has implemented work from home for their office, but I would say we’re an outlier in this regard. Even given the opportunity to work from home, we’re finding that employees are voluntarily coming back to the office.
Most people start work at 9:30am and finish at 6:30pm. Lunch timings are fairly defined, which results in everyone flooding in and out of offices at specific times. Elevators are packed. Certainly not ideal if you’re trying to socially distance.
Of course, there are many businesses that simply can’t work from home, for example factories, retail outlets, restaurants and cafes etc.
Are people still using public transport?
Yes, and in large numbers.
For most people, public transport is the only option available to them to get to and from their place of work. There are long queues for buses after work, and the subway cars are filled with people during rush hour.
The vast majority of people on public transport are wearing masks. I can’t recall seeing anyone in a subway car without a mask on.
The only time I get the opportunity to use the subway is on the weekend. Generally it’s possible to get a seat. People are fine sitting or standing close to each other, but everyone is wearing masks.
There is signage and regular announcements throughout the subway infrastructure reminding people to wear masks, wash their hands, cough into their elbows etc.
Are people going out to restaurants and bars?
Yes and no.
For many of the locals I’ve spoken to, they are saying that restaurants aren’t as busy and that people are going out less.
In the area where I’m staying, which is literally a restaurant street, it feels fairly busy with queues outside some of the more popular restaurants. Weekends are particularly busy.
People take their masks off as they sit down, and put them back on when they get up to leave. I haven’t noticed any changes to seating configurations to create more separation between tables.
Starbucks still has chairs.
All restaurant staff are wearing masks at all times, and hand sanitiser is available at the counter (the place I’m sitting at writing this has hand sanitiser at each table).
Anecdotally, I’ve heard of cases where contact tracing has identified that people that had tested positive for COVID-19 had visited certain restaurants. Once this becomes known, people then avoid these restaurants. Not only that, they are avoiding nearby restaurants as well.
What about shopping areas?
The malls are still heavily frequented, particularly on weekends. The more upmarket malls have reduced the number of access points and have installed thermal cameras. All shopping areas have signage reminding people how to protect themselves from COVID-19.
The Apple Garosugil store, which I visited at the height of the situation, was PACKED. Once COVID-29 started impacting the US, all Apple stores were temporarily closed, however this was well after the peak of the outbreak in South Korea (Apple made the announcement on 13 March, but by that stage the number of new daily cases in South Korea were already well post-peak and in decline).
What about hotels?
Hotels are understandably very quiet, and it’s clear their business is being hit hard by travel restrictions. When I first arrived I spent a few days at one of the more well-established business hotels. They had thermal screening at the entrance points (a combination of thermal cameras and non-contact thermometers), and all hotel staff were wearing protective masks. Hand sanitiser is available at access points and in public areas within hotels. The same measures are in place at all of the major hotels I’ve been to.
Staff at smaller hotels are also all wearing masks, and hand sanitiser is available at entrance and counters. My current hotel, which is a very small one tucked away in an alley, conducted a temperature check on check in, but hasn’t conducted any since. My hotel even has anti-virus handrails in the lift (no idea if these are effective or not).
Can you buy toilet paper?
Yes, of course. How is that even a thing?
Are people still having social gatherings?
According to conversations with my local colleagues, the amount of social gatherings have certainly reduced, and many people are spending more time at home. In the harder hit areas, people are heavily relying on local delivery services.
Unfortunately, some groups are choosing to hold gathering despite the clear risks, and this is where most of the problems are arising from. As an example, just in the last few days a new cluster developed in a church in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, with 48 people testing positive for COVID-19.
Is it possible to get masks?
Yes, but it’s difficult.
When I first arrived, it was almost impossible to buy proper protective masks. Most stores were sold out. Fortunately I arrived with my own supply (Singapore has frequent problems with air pollution from forest fires in neighbouring countries, so most households have a box or two of masks on hand).
On 5 March, the South Korean government announced it would take full control of face masks distributed via public channels. They effectively nationalised 80% of the total manufactured supply of masks, making them available to local pharmacies, post offices and stores operated by the National Agriculture Cooperative Federation (NongHyup). The price of these masks has been fixed at 1,500 won ($1.27) each. The government said it would set a price limit on the remaining 20% of supply, which could be privately sold at other venues, if necessary.
The government has also banned local companies from exporting masks to make the full supply available domestically.
From 9 March, people have been able to purchase two masks per week from local pharmacies. Customers are restricted to purchasing only on certain days of the week, based on their birth year (customers born on odd days can purchase masks on odd days and vice-versa). Locals need to show government ID to purchase masks and the government has set up a computerised system to prevent people purchasing beyond their entitlement.
All in all, this is an equitable approach and solves many of the problems we were facing only a few weeks ago at the peak of the outbreak. It’s not without problems though.
Right now, masks are technically more available, but in practice they are difficult to get. Many people I’ve spoken to have had to try multiple pharmacies before they can find one with stock. Pharmacies are receiving their deliveries at different times, so there’s a bit of luck involved with getting to a pharmacy that’s recently received their daily delivery, before that stock runs out. Ever inventive, people have created an app to track stock.
That said, queues are orderly and I’ve yet to see any issues.
Lessons
So as COVID-19 spreads to other countries, what lessons can people from other countries learn from South Korea?
Firstly, no situation is perfect, and no group of people are perfect. There are still people here who don’t wear masks, who ignore social distancing guidelines, and who potentially jeopardise the health and safety of others.
There are some unique cultural aspects to South Korean society that actually make them highly susceptible to a viral outbreak. As mentioned above, there is a strong work culture here, and there is a strong association with work being conducted from a place of work, not from home. As with many dense urban cities, people in Seoul also strongly rely on public transport, so twice a day they are placed into close contact with a bunch of people of unknown personal hygiene or medical history. Finally, people here love to eat out, introducing them to situations where they are in close contact with others without the benefit of protective masks. All these things considered, I’m actually at a loss as to why we haven’t seen more cases in Seoul.
So, to the lessons:
- Keep it together. People here are remarkably calm, which in an epidemic is hugely important. It makes every other aspect of managing the situation much easier.
- Wear a protective mask when in public. You’ll read multiple potentially conflicting reports about the efficacy of masks, but given the disease is spread by droplets you can’t convince me that there is no utility in wearing them.
- Protect your community. Recognise that your well-being is linked to the well-being of your immediate community, and act appropriately. Don’t place others at risk just because you think you’re healthy and may not be affected.
- Support local businesses. Do what you can to support neighbourhood businesses, particularly small shops. They will suffer the most during a situation like this, and unlike large companies won’t get handouts.
- We’ll get through this, together. If we can pull together, we’ll get through this situation (and the next). If we only think of ourselves, we’ll make it harder for everyone, including us.
Since coming to Seoul, I’ve been actively sharing insights on the COVID-19 situation. Many of these are highly applicable to other locations. If you work for an organisation that’s currently orientating to COVID-19 and you’re looking for insights and best practice, you might find these useful.
Lessons Learned from Managing COVID-19 Week 1
Lessons Learned from Managing COVID-19 Week 2
If your organisation needs support during the COVID-19 pandemic, please feel free to reach out to us for advice and assistance. We can help you to implement mitigation measures, establish best practice for case management, or implement back to work plans that won’t place your employees at risk. You can learn more about what we do here.
