Level 2 Restrictions in Busan

As I write, there are 950 new cases of COVID-19 in South Korea. To stop the spread of the virus, the government has issued restrictions for public and daily interactions. They established a social distancing chart, with level 3 being the most severe. As the average number of daily infections increases, we move up a level on the chart and further restrictions are applied.

Level 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3

For about a week, Busan has been at level 2 which has implications for my daily life. Specifically, all cafes in the city are prohibited from hosting customers and must only supply take-out. This is unfortunate because I regularly like to frequent cafes after work and on the weekends. Thankfully, there are several cafes nearby that offer takeout through a window. I needn't enter the store to order and receive my latte. This gives me the opportunity to try new cafes in the area as I had become entrenched in my routine, going to the same cafes over and over again.

Restaurants are permitted to stay open in Busan and have in-person dining until 9pm after which they can only serve take-out. Restaurants need to ensure that customers are safely distanced, but I'm not sure how strict they are on this. Yet, I was at a restaurant ordering take-out when another customer came into the shop with his mask below his nose. The staff immediately asked him to fix his mask. He complied.

As I wrote last week, restrictions at level 2 mandate that schools only have 1/3 of their students in the building at any given time. As it turns out, most of my classes are online this week. I only had two in-person classes on Tuesday and that's all for the week. I have lots of free time to write this blog at work. There have been additional staff meetings to discuss our response to COVID-19 in level 2, but otherwise, we continue on with online lessons, which we are very accustomed to now.

Some of the other restrictions at this level include the requirement to wear a face mask in all public facilities, and restricted attendance at certain types of businesses. Any sporting events that take place must be reduced to 10% capacity and I believe this includes amateur sports as well since my students' soccer team is no longer allowing spectators.

The Board of Education in Busan has asked the foreign teachers to be extra-cautious during the Christmas and New Year season and to avoid all unnecessary events and gatherings. With this caution, I wonder how long they expect these restrictions to be in place.

These restrictions are coupled with the news that South Korea is in the process of securing large quantities of the vaccine. Optimistically, deliveries of the vaccine are expected to arrive in the spring, leaving us to fight the virus through social distancing for at least another 3 months. We will persevere.