황금연휴 2일째 김포공항에서 출발하는 휴가객
It's the second day of the long holiday weekend here in South Korea,... and as COVID-19 seems to have been tamed, there's a spike in the number of people traveling.
We have one of our reporters connecting live at one of South Korea's main airports to show us how things look there.
Do-yeon, how's it looking there?
Hi Se-min, I'm at Gimpo International Airport's departures area where travelers are checking into their flights.
This is an international airport, but at a time like this... domestic flights are busier than international ones as many international borders have been shut.
I have to tell you, for the past two months or so, I have not seen so many people under the same roof.
As you can see, everyone still seems to have face masks on, but social distancing rules are largely being ignored by travelers, which could pose a threat to their health.
A lot of these travelers are heading to Jeju, one of the most popular places within Korea for a vacation.
The first flight to the island was at 6 AM today, and there are around 240 flights to the island throughout the day from all airports nationwide.
Prior to this long weekend, the Jeju Tourism Association anticipated around 180-thousand visitors to the island… but it seems like it's going to be higher than that because yesterday, according to local media reports, 45-thousand people entered the island, which is 50-percent more than what the association had predicted.
That actually is the highest number of daily visitors for two months.
Yes it does seem busy where you are now... and I too understand the peoples' desire to get out and enjoy their time away from their homes,... and of course the new infection cases have went down.
But is it okay to travel?
Se-min, the KCDC says it is yet another turning point in this battle against the coronavirus.
As I mentioned earlier, there are no tapes for the lines, and except for face masks, the scene is just like how it was in pre coronavirus times
The reason Korea is able to enjoy relative success against COVID19 is its social distancing measures.
However, if people let their guard down from the excitement of traveling, South Korea could face a rise in new cases... that could bring the country back to where it was a month ago.
Jeju, as many are headed towards there, is on full alert.
The tourism association announced that the strict screening of incoming visitors will be held at the airport there.
They also said they will impose a stronger threshold for entry to 37.3 degrees from 37.5 degrees... that's 0.2 degrees stricter
The KCDC says if the country can get through the next few days without any spikes, it should be in a good position to move onto the next phase in the fight against COVID19.
This was KIM Do-yeon, reporting live from Gimpo International Airport.
