As COVID-19 cases continue escalating in Southeastern Manitoba, South Koreans seem to have found some success at subduing the virus.

Former Niverville resident Tamra Peters-Hur has been living in the country since 2006 and says her family has been isolated for three and a half weeks already.

“Our apartment next door, there was a family that all tested positive for coronavirus,” shares Peters-Hur, “but because of these preventative materials, no one else in the apartment block has been infected.”

To date, the Korean government’s strategy has been threefold; testing, social distancing, and preventative materials such as masks and hand sanitizer.

SungHeuk Hur holding his newborn baby girl Yeji Abigail.

“Everyone wears a mask when they go outside, and the government made it illegal to export them,” explains Peters-Hur. “There has been a rationing system depending on your birth year. You can go to the pharmacy and buy two masks a week on your day. I can go on Thursdays.”

Sanitizer appears everywhere in the city now. “If you get on a bus, there’s hand sanitizer, if you get in an elevator, there’s a bottle of hand sanitizer.”

In regards to testing, Peters-Hur says the nation has the ability to test more than 10,000 people per day and those that are found positive are immediately quarantined. The government also set up a task force to track down all those who were in contact with the original infected person.

“They use mobile records and credit card purchases to find out where you have all been and are able to notify the people who might have been in contact with a patient.” She says the government sends out texts to let people know which areas positive-tested people have been, which day, and at what time.

“Another app posts where all the coronavirus patients have been on a map so you can see where to stay away from.”

Peters-Hur says her family remains in the house a lot, however, they take a walk once a day to get sunshine and fresh air. “People are still out in the city,” she assures, “but not as many people are in the shops.”

She says many have been working from home since the last week of February and almost everything has been shut down.

“There’s no daycare, elementary, middle, or high school. University has been pushed back and this is to keep people out of large spaces.” Additionally, she informs that all Buddhist temples and Catholic churches have closed with the Protestant ones now being asked to as well.

Instead, services are being held online using Facebook and YouTube live.

Even with all the changes to sanitation and socialization, Peters-Hur says that little has changed in regard to public behaviours.

 She did, however, highlight one, “In the past, old people would want to talk to and touch little kids, but they don’t touch now, so that’s a good thing!”