Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | Schools
Schools were the first to close as the pandemic hit the world. In South Korea, as the curve has flattened, some grades came back to school but in limited numbers with partitioned tables. For the past month, students all over the countries met together online with their teachers using different technologies from zoom to google classroom. Last week, I visited the Dongbu elementary school in Northern Seoul and documented their new process. Hwang Myeong Sin, a 4th-grade teacher welcomed me in her class and showed me the amazing content of google class that she has put together with other colleagues to teach her students online. Here are some of the photos.
Hwang Myeong Sin is ready to welcome her students once the governments will allow it.
Google classroom with students
Special classes are organized to welcome the students from homes who cannot take care of their children during work hours. Here children are being taught coding.
Robert Thomas Shurmur teaching an english lesson to his students online.
An active class with an empty classroom
All photos by Tim Franco, get in touch at timfranco@gmail.com if you are interested to publish.
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | masks
In touristic spots and large public spaces, everybody is wearing masks.
0 new domestic cases in South Korea for the past 2 days - we are slowly getting there! As the global pandemic continues worldwide, I will continue documenting the situation from here. Touristic sites are mostly empty most of the international flights have come to a stop but people have continued to wear masks, even by themselves in empty spaces as a courtesy in case of a sudden encounter. Those new landscapes give an eerie feeling of what is to come in the rest of the world
The royal guard performers at the Gyeongbokgung palace are wearing masks - but theirs are special are they are embroidered with a mystical creature from the Korean folklore that are suppose to protect people from plagues.
The Gyeongbokgung palace, one of the most touristic site in Seoul is mostly empty.
A royal guard performers at the Gyeongbokgung palace are wearing a mask.
Even in large empty spaces such as the DDP, people are wearing masks.
all images by Tim Franco. Get in touch at timfranco@gmail.com if interested
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | Portraits 1
This post is dedicated to those people in the serving industry who continue to work and interact with a large number of people every day in Seoul South Korea.
8 new cases as per yesterday feels like a small victory in South Korea. The curve is flat, people are working, student are starting to use online schooling and life goes on! On the front line, in the serve industry, people wear masks everywhere, in coffee shops, convenient stores, markets etc. This post is dedicated to those people in the serving industry who continue to work and interact with a large number of people every day!
Cho Ju Ok is welcoming customer in her coffee shop in downtown Seoul.
Lim Yung Ok, 7/11 owner is using gloves for every customer and washing his hands with sanitizer between every sale.
Kim Jina is preparing coffee in her shop in Jamsil downtown Seoul.
Kang Hye Ryeong has placed protecting glass to implement safety in her pharmacy
Park Gwan Woo works with a mask at the fish market in downtown Seoul
A large selection of photos on the Covid 19 are available upon request - all photos by Tim Franco - get in touch at timfranco@gmail.com
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | Testing
Beyond the general usage of the masks, one of the big reasons why South Korea managed to get ahead of the Coronavirus is because of its intensive testing from the get-go.
Beyond the general usage of the masks, one of the big reasons why South Korea managed to get ahead of the Coronavirus ( 8 new cases today ) is because of its intensive testing from the get-go. South Korean laboratories were amongst the first to create an efficient test for the Covid 19. Then they deployed the test all around the country through free testing sites. All the hospitals became sealed off the general visitors and testing centers were constructed in container buildings in front of them. That allowed the hospitals to stay safe of contaminations. On top of that, a lot of testing centers were deployed in sensitive areas or in front of official government buildings. Then to ensure even more safety, South Korea installed drive through and walk through testing site were people did not have to get out of their car to be tested. All tests are free for locals and foreign nationals and results are available within hours by text message. Here are some of the photos of those testing sites and the people operating them.
A nurse posing in front of a drive through testing center in Downtown Seoul
The drive through testing for Coronavirus is divided in 4 stages and takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
As cases are decreasing, the nurses are often waiting in their suits cars to come through.
The nurses & doctors are in full protective gears during the test.
A test center on the parking lot of the main hospital of the Hanam district of downtown Seoul
An old woman waiting to be tested in front of an hospital in downtown Seoul.
A selective clinic testing center in front of the Yongsan government building
A queue for people waiting to be tested in front of the makeshift testing center of the Yongsan Government building.
All photos by Tim Franco | Available for publication, please get in touch: timfranco@gmail.com
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | Elections
The parliamentary elections took place yesterday in South Korea. The government took multiple mesures to allow electors to cast their votes in the safest way.
The parliamentary elections took place yesterday in South Korea. The government took multiple mesures to allow electors to cast their votes in the safest way. Each elector had to queue 1 meter from each other and wear a mask. Upon arrival at the door, a first temperature check was processed, then, voters had to wash their hands with sanitizer before picking a pair of disposable gloves. Only then, they were allowed inside to cast their vote.
South Korea was among the first countries to hold a national vote since the pandemic began. The party of President Moon Jae-in has won a decisive victory in those elections, with voters backing the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A candidate campaigning from a truck in Downtown Seoul
Voters queuing with a safety distance on election day in the Yongsan district of Seoul
Voter being checked for body temperature before being allowed to cast his vote.
Disposable gloves are being distributed to each voters
Gloves are then being disposed after the casting process
Volunteers from the ruling party are campaigning on a street of downtown Seoul.
A member of the conservative party finishing a campaign speech from a truck in Downtown Seoul
A conservative candidate visiting a local cafe during his campaign.
Fever checks are not only applied during this electoral process. They are also mandatory for the entrance of most major public and office building in the city.
all images by Tim Franco - get in touch at timfranco@gmail.com for publications.
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | back to the office
White-collars are getting back to work in their office all over South Korea. With social distancing, masks and constant checks, the working force is learning to live in a new reality.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, a lot of office workers have been working from home. When the situation in Seoul did not escalate as much as in Daegu, offices have started to organize a system of shifts to preserve social distancing. With only half of the effective present, the chances of transmission supposed to be kept to a minimum. This week as the curve is flattening, most companies have decided to get their full effective back to work. The center of Seoul is once again busy with white-collar workers covered with masks walking around, getting lunch and coffee and enjoying the first warm days of the spring. Wearing masks almost constantly is a new normality and each office building checks the temperature of each employee before they are allowed back in.
Office workers on their way to their lunch break.
On some terraces. office workers are allowing themselves to take out the masks in small groups.
Each worker is checked for body temperature before getting inside their office building.
All photos are copyrighted by Tim Franco - available upon request : timfranco@gmail.com
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul | Cherry Blossom
The cherry blossom season and rising temperatures in Seoul have pushed a lot of people outside of their homes. How Korea is dealing with spring crowds under the COVID 19.
This week signals the coming of springs -with temperature finally rising and most importantly, cherry trees blossoming, it is the big come back of the beautiful days. The local government is advising strong social distancing policies but it is impossible to keep people, especially young ones, away from the beautiful white trees and the relaxing banks of the Han river. For this occasion, a big number of volunteer are walking around the crowds with panels reminding to wear masks and to keep a safety distance of 2 meters between groups of people. As most of of people are doing their best to respect those rules, younger people don’t hesitate to take off the mask for a quick selfie or while enjoying the sun on the grass.
For the past two month, most of the urban population of the peninsula is following the regulations of masks. But with numbers of cases falling down again in Seoul, the population is starting to relax without worrying much about the so called second or third wave. Here are some images around the “officially canceled” cherry blossom festival.
A couple enjoy the Cherry Trees in Yeouido, downtown Seoul. Part of the street has been closed to the public but people are still free to stroll around. In between trees, numerous signs are reminding visitors to keep wearing masks and observe a safety distance between groups.
At every entrance of the Hangang park , hand sanitizers and volunteers are here to remind the visitors of the dangers of the Covid 19
A volunteer with a sign reminding visitor to wear masks stroll up and down the main alley in between the cherry trees.
A group of young people playing in the the Hangang park. Young people have less tendencies to wear masks at all time.
The park is crowded but groups are sitting spaced from each others. Young people take off their masks for selfies and snacks.
A group of young people posing for a photo in front of one of the many cherry tree of Yeouido.
A volunteer offers some hand sanitizer to visitors arriving at the park/
All photos by Tim Franco | get in touch : timfranco@gmail.com
Covid 19 - Dispatch from Seoul
A live dispatch for the Covid 19 situation in Seoul South Korea with weekly photos and text by Tim Franco.
Strange times… I remember the morning of september 11 2001, I just came back from a night out in the Paris catacombes with friends and I got a message on AOL messenger from a friend in New York where I was a week earlier telling me a plane just collided with one of the twin tower. As I watched the events unfolded live on my television, I was certain that was probably the biggest historical event I was about to witness in my lifetime. This year, I stand corrected. As I am watching the entire world going from panic to lockdown, this time mainly through the screen of my iphone, I am wondering what lays ahead for the world. It also seems important to do my job and pick up my camera and start recording this unique moment.
South Korea is also quite unique in this sense. As the rest of the world seems to slowly go into full lock down, South Korea has managed to flatten the curve. With a population wearing masks extensively to a big campaign of free testing and contact tracing throughout the country, the death toll as remained incredibly low. Life seems almost normal if its not for the fact that the entire population is wearing masks. I am going to document the life in Seoul, not knowing where is going but more as an exercise and a way to record this historical moment.
A young couple on a date in Gangnam.
A social distance volunteer in Yeouido getting ready for the the popular cherry blossom week end.
As social distancing is being reinforced in Seoul, all public square equipments has been sealed off to prevent contact infestions.
On the main shopping street of Gangnam, it is almost business as usual.
all photos by Tim Franco are available for publishing - please get in touch : timfranco@gmail.com