About nine months have passed since the outbreak of COVID-19, but people are still having a hard time living their daily lives. With COVID-19 continuing, the government has strengthened social distancing. Social distancing refers to infection control measures or campaigns that require maintaining distance between people to prevent the spread of local infections of COVID-19.
The first phase of social distancing applies to situations in which small-scale sporadic spreads repeat proliferation and mitigation, below the level that the usual medical system can handle. The second phase of social distancing is a phase in which the COVID-19 trend in the community continues to spread beyond the level that is manageable by the usual medical system. The third phase of social distancing is a large-scale epidemic in which a large number of mass infections occur in the community, and COVID-19 infections spread rapidly.
Let us look at the step-by-step measures of social distancing. In the first phase, meetings are allowed, and educational facilities can choose between in-person classes and remote learning. In the second phase, it is prohibited to gather more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors. Educational facilities can choose between in-person classes and remote learning as in the first phase. In the third phase, more than 10 people are prohibited from gathering, and educational facilities should be transferred to remote classes.
However, not only do people practice different levels of quarantine, but they also lack a sense of social distancing. When Yeungnam University students were asked, “What level of quarantine do you think you have?” some answered, “Everyone should wear a KF94 mask thoroughly and carry a hand sanitizer with them all the time.” In contrast, some answered, “It’s enough to cover their mouth with a mask and wash their hands frequently.” Also, as PC rooms in the metropolitan area are closed due to social distancing, more and more people are using PC rooms outside the metropolitan area, which does not apply this guideline. This risks further spreading of COVID-19.
COVID-19 has even given rise to the saying, “If we scatter, we live; if we are united, we die.” Even if it is a little difficult, everyone should work together to ensure the virus does not spread as much as possible. If another virus occurs, it is essential for individuals to follow government guidelines to ensure that the situation does not last long, based on our experience with COVID-19.
