Early mornings in Seoul are equivalent to avoiding a gridlock. Subways and bus rides during rush hours are “hell on wheels.” Yet, stations are now almost left empty after the coronavirus outbreak. The roads and narrow lanes no longer suffer traffic jams as well.

During crammed rides to work, faces partially covered by KF94 masks greet each other. This is now the new normal as “masking” has become the rising trend among Koreans these days. If someone coughs, especially in a congested area, others would brusquely give a “why are you out” glare.

At that moment, an emergency text message from the CDSCHQ would ring: “Social distancing serves as a powerful weapon to protect my family and me!” These notices have been running wild for the past few weeks.

Likewise, the door to various festivals are also on hold at the moment, leaving the room for ventilation closed. This is why people are reaching out to innovative challenges on Instagram to keep themselves tuned.

Visits to a 5-minute walk nearby cafes are nearly a distant dream now for the majority. Please check out the video to see how 2-meter social distancing is changing many peoples’ lives.

Video script and article by Park Jun-hee (junheeep97@heraldcorp.com)
Video shot and edited by Park Su-bin (qlstnqkr1204@heraldcorp.com)