15,000 daily free corona tests, mass diagnosis and impromptu hospitals - can already be determined: South Korea is a success story on curbing the virus • "We saw a crisis as an opportunity to develop a new work culture and a better way to deal with a crisis," says a Korean priest

• Refuse to rest on the laurels. South Korean soldiers on a street in Seoul, this week

  Photo:

  Reuters

Coping with the Corona virus in the past two months has become an interesting, single-province province in China for its global struggle across many countries across the globe. While in the US and European countries, the authorities are struggling to stop the spread of the virus, and the number of people infected has been steadily rising, eyes in these countries are borne to the Far East, where the epidemic appears to be finally in retreat.

This week, China saw a sharp drop in Hubei Province, the original center of the outbreak, with no new patients registered for more than 48 hours in the provincial capital, Wuhan.

While authorities in China announce that special hospitals built to deal with the influx of hospitals have begun to dismantle, and that factories and key businesses will start working again in the coming days, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a solemn visit to the battered Wuhan city and thanked the medical staff and local authorities.

But while Chinese relentless and rigid coping with the disease included the hermetic closure of tens of millions of people and a total disruption of the country's trade and industrial life, another Far East country presents a radically different, more transparent and democratic strategy to curb the disease, in the meanwhile.

The religion of the virus

The city of Diego, with its 2.5 million inhabitants, is a symbol of South Korea's economic strength. The city's prosperity, which sits at a central crossroads in the southern state, is fed by steel, electricity and automotive industries, and has an international airport and a state-of-the-art metro system.

When the Corona epidemic hit rich and proud South Korea, it was the city of Diego that suffered the worst blow. It was a church of a devout religious community called the "Shincheongji Church of Christ" that served as the focus of the past past during the long religious ceremonies held by members of the congregation. Nearly 60 percent of all South Korean coronary disease patients are associated with the religious community.
The rate of infection was alarming.

As everywhere, it was the most severely affected adults and patients. City hospital mortality rates, which failed to cope with the sudden rush, skyrocketed. From Diego, the virus has spread to other parts of the country, including the capital Seoul, a metropolis of more than 20 million people.

The fear and anxiety fueled by the free media outlets in the country have created an atmosphere of suspicion and disrupted communities across the state. Lee Goa Dong, 61, a pastor and community leader in the eastern city of Dongha, tells Israel this week about the first month of dealing with the outbreak: "We have never been subject to any restrictions. All of this was completely new to us. Suddenly there are activities that cannot be done. Plant people in fear and suspicion of each other and everyone strives to isolate themselves.

Suddenly the streets are empty, the usual vitality of Korean cities is almost gone. Group activities that are an integral part of our lives here have become a rarity, "he tells me.

"But despite the fear, we Koreans have seen the crisis as an opportunity to develop a new networking business culture as well as find better ways to deal with crises."

Lee's remarks are aimed at South Korea's great effort to stop the spread of the virus, without seriously damaging the economy, routine and civil rights. Instead of adopting a regional closure policy, as they did in China, Iran and Italy, Seoul decided to conduct a mass diagnosis of patients, both at the infection centers and at random points across the country. Where carriers and patients were found, authorities could reach other patients.

The government has also identified three special treatment areas and injected huge quantities of doctors, medical personnel and medical equipment. The special care centers were set up by the Army Medical Corps, which was sent to the city of Diego and opened up with makeshift clinics and hospitals.

In order to implement the mass diagnostic program, 117 special diagnostic laboratories were established in the country and every day 15,000 free corona tests are performed at various points. Unlike other countries, there were no shortage of test kits or large queues in the inspection posts.
A special application by the government listed each person tested and allowed to be tracked. If found to be infected with the virus, she warned residents not to be infected with the infection.

Alongside the mass diagnosis and strengthening of the medical system, the government has encouraged businesses to continue to employ workers from home and continue to operate, under regulatory conditions, essential industries and various services to the citizen.

The special measures were not enough to completely eradicate the spread of the disease, but in recent days South Korea has dropped from an infectious rate of 950 patients a day to an infectious rate of 240 towards the current midweek. State President Moon Jia-In responded to the dramatic drop in the number of patients, saying: "We must maintain this pace. We have made great progress thanks to citizens who remain united and cooperate, but are still too early to be optimistic. .

The secret - family support

Despite the relative achievement of curbing the disease, some wonder how the Corona became an outbreak that took the lives of 61 people. A large cluster of new contractors discovered in a call center in Seoul capital has re-raised the concern that the outbreak is still far from over.

The conservative newspaper "Jong-Ang" quickly attacked the government in its editorial today, writing: "The government is rushing to pat itself on the scaffold just a month before the election. But new cases and a constant threat to our hospitals and nursing homes remain."
Concern about new cases of Corona in the metropolis of more than 20 million people also undermines obedient Koreans.
"It's very scary to see how things are suddenly deteriorating in Seoul," the mother of two, a resident of the capital, told Reuters.

But while new infection-focused fear continues to haunt South Korea, there seems to be some who know what to do. "I tell my community members the most important thing is to maintain hygiene," Goa Deng tells me in a phone call. "You should avoid as much public transport as possible, pay attention to the app and most importantly take the time to be with the family and take comfort from it."