Hi everyone! I wanted to make a quick post about the Coronavirus and what’s happening in Seoul. Even though I’ve been working from home and my class is now online, I’m overall optimistic about the situation and the preventative measures the city government has been taking to keep us all safe. 

From what I understand, South Korea has tested more people than any other country except for China, so the number of people who are sick seems high. One of my friends was tested just for coughing at work (she wound up being fine), and I’ve had my temperature taken before entering buildings, too. Testing is free for people who are symptomatic, and there are drive-thru testing stations set up around the city. When someone is found to be infected, everyone in the area gets an emergency alert telling them what neighborhoods to avoid while they’re sanitized. Virtually everyone wears a mask while they’re outside or on public transport, and hand sanitizer is available in every restaurant, school, office building, and subway stop. 

The vast majority of cases are in Daegu, a Southern city where an infected woman denied treatment and continued attending church. According to the amazingly thorough Wikipedia about the outbreak in Korea, 63% of all cases are associated with the church. Seoul only accounts for about 1% of all cases. 

With all that said, I’m still trying to be careful. The outbreak in Daegu happened within a matter of days, and I don’t think we’re totally out of the woods. 

Here are the websites I check for information!

1. Cases by country: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
2. Wikipedia Page (with a chart showing cases by city): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_outbreak_in_South_Korea

At this point I’m honestly more worried about the U.S. I’d love to hear all of your thoughts!