Coronavirus Update

***Update 3/1: As the stabilization efforts continue in South Korea, schools have announced that they will remain closed this week, as well. The streets are quiet, but I am well. People generally seem calmer, though everyone is taking precautions to stay home and practice good hygiene if they need to go out. It's been a great opportunity to relax, sleep, write, binge Netflix, and maintain false promises about cleaning. Ha!

If you'd like to better understand the virus, here is a great article. Please ignore the sensationalist headline; the article itself will answer all your questions, like, "What is a coronavirus? What is its history? And what does the future look like?"***

The news about COVID-19 must look scary to anyone closely following it, especially when you see the numbers reported from Asia. Thank you all for thinking of me and sending well wishes. I'm doing well and keeping safe. I'll be honest with you: I'm personally not too concerned about the coronavirus (in regards to myself). I'll explain in a bit, but first...

What has the coronavirus experience been like in Korea? When the first few Koreans were reported as infected, many Koreans understandably felt fear.

For my fellow Floridians, imagine what it's like whenever the state is the Cone of Uncertainty. It may or may not hit your area, but you're ready to quarantine, and everyone and their mother is stocking up on groceries. You may be worried, uncertain of the future, with fear of the unknown. The not knowing what will happen is the worst part of the situation. That's what it's been like here in Seoul.

Last week, when the numbers stagnated for nearly a week, things felt back to normal. We were no longer required to wear masks in school and washing hands became optional again. (lol -- Koreans are wonderful and care a lot for hygiene, but this is just one of those cultural differences. But don't scoff, fellow Americans; how many times have you seen someone walk out of a bathroom without as much as looking at a sink? Bleh!) A few days ago, when infected numbers began increasing like a multiplication table gone postal, the fear set in again. What does that mean? Well, let's preface with the fact that the Korean government has done an awesome job of communicating helpful tips ("wear a mask/wash your hands/cough or sneeze into your arm"). There are posters eeeveryyywhere outside, signs posted in stores and on doors, videos playing on the subway, Korean and English announcements in the subway, Korean announcements in apartment and store buildings, info pop-ups when you try to sign into public WiFi, even emergency notifications that hit your phone exactly like an Amber Alert (yes, with that awful sound, and the same notification aesthetic.)

Also, there have been several cases around big ol' Seoul, but the majority of cases are confirmed in Daegu, the southeastern area of Korea, about a three-ish-hour train ride from here.

Yesterday (Sunday, 2/23/20), the Education Minister of South Korea announced that public schools would be delayed opening for one week. (Students are currently on a winter break.)

The government is also planning to provide childcare programs for young children and will encourage companies to allow parents to take childcare holidays.

What does that mean for schools (hagwons) like mine?

If you've been following along with my vlog adventures (which, yes, have been quiet, but there will be more coming soon), then you may be aware that I teach at a for-profit English cram school, known as a hagwon. Students attend these schools after their day at public school, and they are attending for longer hours now, since they are enrolled during winter break.

Yesterday, the government urged private schools to follow suit with public schools, temporarily closing their doors for the safety of students and teachers. There was more uncertainty, of course! Would our branch close? What happens if we do? What happens if we don't? It's the Korean Kone of Uncertainty. (That sounds like a fun ice cream flavor that I would not recommend trying.)

This morning, the number of infected increased again (as to be expected), and there were more cases reported in Seoul, even around some of our other school branches. Our company was faced with the difficult decision of what to do.

And as of this afternoon (Korean time -- 14 hours in the future oooooh), my branch has received word that we will be closed for the remainder of the week, beginning tomorrow (of course, because today is pretty much over).

What does a closed school mean for me?

That's been my main concern, too. Well, it means the following things: 1) I will not have to teach this week (which makes me sad because I really do love it, but happy because I also really love sleep)

2) We are still expected to complete our lesson plans and prep for when we return (meaning we're still keeping to our normal schedule, hoping that things go back to normal soon!)

3) We will be paid 70% of our week's salary in accordance with Labor Law. (Because the school closed voluntarily, this is how much we get paid. However, if the government had mandated a shut-down, we would be eligible for 0% of our week's pay, soooo this is fine!)

4) We are not on a vacation, even though we get these days off. No travel, avoid public transportation, avoid busy areas, try to self-quarantine as much as possible becaaaause...

5) If we don't follow the recommendations above and get sick, it means further quarantine and health checks, all unpaid. (Sad day)

So, load up those Netflixes and Disney+s and Amazons, kids. We're going to have ourselves a binge-fest!

So, why am I not concerned about COVID-19?

It is a terrible thing that people have died from COVID, of course, and seeing how overwhelmed and unprepared many global areas (especially in China) have been. The more prepared and efficient the response we have to this virus, the better we can protect those who are truly at risk.

And just like anyone else, I don't want to get sick. I don't want to tango with pneumonia. (How can you really trust a word that has a silent letter? Probably has something to hide and will dance you right into a world of hurt. Overall, bad dance partner and a bad time.)

And yes, when you look at the news and all those DARK BLACK CHARTS with RED LETTERS and words like DEATH and INFECTED, it looks scary. Seeing those visuals of people in hazmat suits and people in giant Ziploc bags look like something out of E.T. when everyone's favorite alien is dying and scientists have set up plastic tunnel forts all over Elliott's place and you suddenly have nightmare flashbacks to how terrifying it was to watch those scenes at, like, five years old.

Phew. Anyway, yes, those things are all scary.

But look at the numbers again. There are 51 million people in South Korea, and about 10 million of those folks live in Seoul.

As of right this very moment (and these numbers will grow tomorrow and the next day and the next), the total number of infected are 833. Even if we had a few thousand infections, that is still a low percentage.

It's not accurate to determine a mortality rate right now with the virus ongoing and so many tests still unconfirmed (currently, 11,000ish in Korea). However, of (currently) 79.5k confirmed cases around the world, there are also 25k recoveries.

We're in the Cone of Uncertainty, but there's still good news all around. The virus has been mapped and a vaccine is in development, likely to be ready in a couple years. That sounds like a long time, but vaccines often take 10 to 15 years to be completed, so this is pretty amazing.

Yes, I'm forever an optimist, like it or not.

Also, given the wonderful healthcare system here (see my snippet about paying $37 for a doctor's visit and five prescriptions -- ready? ready?? -- WITHOUT insurance) and the professionalism of Korean infrastructure, I feel a lot safer here than I do in the States, physically and monetarily.

So, I will stay as safe as possible. Likely, no adventures for me this week while I "self-quarantine," so if you guys have any Kindle books, TV shows, movies, or YouTube videos to recommend, I'm game! (I'll also be brushing up on my Hangeul, as my Korean classes will be starting in March, virus-permitting!) Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer. 감사합니다 for reading! Catch you all later!