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They were happening in closed spaces such as underground ping pong clubs or offices, among people holding small religious studies groups or meetings. Places with no windows or ventilation were highly prone to these infection clusters.
It was however a brilliant Saturday in early June. Deep summer verdant was visible everywhere.
So a group of four women defied the authorities' call, choosing instead to head to the Seongsu area, a hot place among the young and chic. Any stop at restaurants or cafes would be short, possibly just a pick-up of food or drinks.
A sense of expectation, curiosity about a new neighborhood, and a human stubbornness to show resistance to the virus prevailed.
We didn't know what to expect in terms of crowd size. Would there be long lines like when Blue Bottle opened its first shop here? No such line was visible.
But the neighborhood had a sufficient weekend crowd. Mostly young and fashionable people thronged the streets formerly known for its handmade shoe shops. Young entrepreneurs had their street stalls set up, featuring jewelry, fragrances and soaps they created themselves.
There were people wearing masks everywhere.
Some of the stores strictly adhered to the "everyday life quarantine" guidelines or infection prevention rules, checking temperatures and asking visitors to register their names and phone numbers. The fashionable cafes in the neighborhood were, without meaning to be, COVID-19 friendly. Usually standing in refurbished houses or former warehouses, they had a lot of space. It was a relief to see that these businesses seemed to be going strong.
But just as much if not more restaurants and small shops had none of these preparations.
No temperature checks, nor personal information registration. Tables were closely squeezed together for maximum business that was the norm prior to the COVID-19 era. People thankfully wore masks, but the masks were dropped constantly to eat, talk or drink. It was understood that businesses could not afford to seat their patrons apart as recommended by the health authorities. Hopefully, the tables were wiped and disinfected after each team left.
People walked sometimes right behind your heel, so confident perhaps in their youth or in old age that they could resist the virus. This is despite that some experts having advised people to stay one or two meters apart when walking outside. The Korean sentiment of having to hurry, to get ahead, still prevailed in the COVID-19 era.
Once in a social setting, it really was difficult to keep that the 1- to 2-meter safe distance required for infection prevention in daily life.
A myriad of feelings and questions about what was the best method of infection prevention raced through our minds, and most probably through the minds of those stylish young people thronging the area.
Clearing away the doubts, Director Jung Eun-kyeong of the Korea Centers of Disease Control and Prevention on Monday stressed that wearing a mask and/or keeping 1 meter apart can reduce infections by 80 percent.
With people, businesses and communities slowly reopening, there will be learning phases along the way. We should be willing to relearn and adapt.
The guidelines that the nation's health authorities announced when it switched from strict social distancing to infection prevention in daily life should be updated and re-issued.
Even the World Health Organization has changed its position on masks saying that people should wear fabric masks if healthy and that the face masks should consist of "at least three layers of different material." The WHO advised that those in the more dangerous age group of 60 or older should wear medical-grade masks if there is transmission within the community.
Kim Ji-soo is an editorial writer of The Korea Times.
