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“This should become the new normal from now on,” said Gong My-young, 53, who owns a tutoring school and attended mass one night this week at Myeongdong Church in the capital of South Korea. “We have to be ready for war.”
South Korea even has a name for new practices: “quarantine of everyday life.” Authorities recently released a 68-page guide, offering advice on situations like going to the movies (“refrain from yelling”) and attending funerals (“bowing rather than hugging”).
As cities in Asia, Australia, and elsewhere have their coronavirus outbreaks under control, churches, schools, restaurants, movie theaters, and even sports venues begin to open up, creating a sense of normalcy for people who have spent weeks and even months in isolation.
But they are returning to a world reimagined for the coronavirus era, where social estrangement, hygiene standards, and government-imposed restrictions are infused into almost every activity, a way of life that will likely persist until a vaccine is found. or a treatment.
In Hong Kong, restaurant tables must be at least 5 feet apart, and customers receive bags to store their face masks during dinner.
In China, students face temperature controls before they can enter schools, while cafeteria tables are equipped with plastic dividers.
In South Korea, baseball games lack fans and players can’t spit on the field.
Many people say they have no choice but to accept the changes, even when they accept the loss of freedom and spontaneity.
At the Salsa Amigos dance club in Seoul, teachers are instructing students to wear masks, take frequent breaks so they don’t sweat, and keep a distance of about 3 feet from their partners. Some instructors are avoiding couples’ dance routines out of concern that students have too much contact.
“I really wish the virus would go away so I could dance again,” said Woo Tae-hyuck, 48, an employee of a telecommunications company who attended salsa and bachata classes this week.
The new customs and social mandates in Beijing, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as in the capital of Sydney and Taiwan, Taipei, offer a preview of what could soon be common worldwide. While parts of Europe and the United States are taking tentative steps to loosen restrictions, many cities in Asia and Australia are more advanced.
The coronavirus, or fear of its spread, has reached such places before, and efforts have been underway for months to mitigate transmission. With new cases at or near zero, they now have the confidence to start opening, albeit cautiously.
The most popular tourist sites in China, where the outbreak began in December, again accept visitors, albeit with strict limits on crowd size. The Forbidden City in Beijing is allowing just 5,000 people to visit per day, compared to 80,000 before the outbreak.
Libraries in Hong Kong are reopening, but visitors can only be indoors for an hour at a time.
Beauty salons in Sydney, some of which had closed due to viruses or financial pressures, have returned to business with abundant supplies of masks and hand sanitizer. In some cases, magazines are no longer delivered to customers.
Governments are trying to keep the virus at bay while leaving enough room for economic and social activity to pick up again. Officials are testing new sanitation and social distancing guidelines, such as requiring masks on trains and buses and advising the public to avoid face-to-face interactions at work. There are mandatory temperature controls outside restaurants and shopping malls.
Some governments impose limits on how many people can meet. In Sydney, residents can only accommodate two visitors at a time in their homes, while officials in Hong Kong have banned more than four people from being together in a public place. Outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people in Taiwan are discouraged.
Churches were a particular focus in South Korea, where the outbreak was linked to a secret religious sect. Many now require the faithful to reserve places in services in advance to limit the number of people, and those who attend must wear masks.
Schools represent one of the greatest challenges for governments. Classrooms are notorious as hotbeds of germs and social interactions. But societies cannot really function until parents can send their children to school full time.
In Sydney, schools are reopening in phases, teaching one day a week for a quarter of students in each grade and gradually expanding until the end of June. In Beijing, older adults preparing for college entrance exams are returning, while in Shanghai, students in their senior year of high school and high school are also returning. Seoul is making plans to return soon.
But educators do not take risks.
In the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, a private elementary school asked students to make 3-foot-long cardboard-winged hats when classes resumed in late April to learn about social distancing. While displaying their hats, they answered questions from teachers about the incubation period of the coronavirus and its symptoms.
In Taiwan, where classes have been in session since the end of February, schools have canceled assemblies and have ordered students to wear masks and wash their hands regularly. They have asked students to refrain from talking while eating and discourage popular games like Jenga that take students side by side. Graduation ceremonies at many schools are moving online.
“There are many things I miss, but it is necessary to combat this disease,” said Lee Yu Cheng, 18, a student at Taipei Yucheng Municipal High School. “If I get infected, what about my family?”
Companies are also taking extra precautions to attract cautious customers who have become accustomed to staying home.
Black Sheep, a group of upscale restaurants in Hong Kong, has conducted temperature checks and medical history surveys at its 23 restaurants. Alcohol spray and disposable bags for storing masks are on every table. Black Sheep leaders say the measures have helped his image and business.
“A lot of things will not go back to what they were before COVID any time soon,” said Syed Asim Hussain, co-founder of Black Sheep. “The old standards are not good enough. Physical distancing is one thing that is definitely here to stay. ”
Technology is also helping governments and businesses adapt and adapt to the continuing threat of the virus.
In some cinemas in Seoul, robots have been implemented to provide customers with details on the hours and location of the restrooms. Snacks are distributed through an automated kiosk rather than by staff.
In China, officials are using apps to track residents’ health and travel history, requiring them to display QR codes to access restaurants, office buildings, and apartment complexes. Zeng Leyi, a designer in Shenzhen, a city in southern China, said the measures, including temperature controls in restaurants, gave her peace of mind.
“I am so afraid of death that if they don’t take my temperature, I won’t dare enter,” said Zeng, 25.
There is little sign that life will truly return to normal anytime soon, even in countries where new coronavirus infections have declined significantly.
The concert halls are silent. The subway cars are sparsely populated. Sports teams in South Korea and Taiwan play in empty stadiums.
To combat the feeling of isolation, baseball teams in Taiwan are filling the stands with cardboard cutouts and mannequins. Some are using robots to get music out of the stands.
In Sydney, the beaches have begun to reopen, but police and lifeguards patrol regularly to make sure swimmers use the water only for exercise and don’t delay. Rowing, sunbathing and water games are prohibited.
The rules have not dampened the spirit of many residents, who say they are relieved to leave the house again after weeks of confinement.
Desmond Cohn, 26, plunged into the waters of Bondi Beach in Sydney this week. The beaches provide an “emotional outlet” for many residents, he said, and many are eager to reconnect with nature.
“They were all smiling at each other, looking around them,” he said. “We’re all thinking, how good is this? It was about time.”
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