The Way Back to South Korea in the Era of Covid-19

 

I woke up at 6:00 am. The flight back to Korea from Kansai Airport was 11:50 am. I had enough time. Feeling a bit guilty to myself, I tried to make myself a bit lazier than usual repacking my two carriers. Eating the last breakfast in the hotel, I praised myself of having reserved a hotel which offers breakfasts.

 I took Nankai line to the airport. I got on the train at 8:00 am when commuters were scrambling at the station heading for their workplaces to make their ends meet. I was scared. I relieved myself expecting there would be fewer passengers in my train to the airport reasoning that the airport is quite far from the center of Osaka City. I was wrong. Getting closer to the airport, the train got filled with more and more students.

 But the airport was not busy. More specifically it was empty. Few stores were open. Almost all the clerks were suffering from un-busyness not business. With its silence and darkness, the airport seemed like a ghost town. Oops! Ghost airport.

Even checking in was different. I was asked whether I intended to enter Japan with the visa I had. I said no. I was shown a piece of paper I had never seen before. It was the confirming paper that makes sure that I do not have intention to enter Japan with the current visa. Drawing down my signature, I just felt weird.

Even around the gates, few stores were on business. Even in the stores, there was almost zero customers. I just went straight to the gate of my plane and got a good bench with a good sight over the runway and spent the waiting time reading a book.

 

My seat was next to the window. The two seats next mine were just empty, which made me feel happy with my decision to choose the plane. The price I had paid for the flight was definitely reasonable. It was cloudy in Kansai Airport. But, getting closer to Incheon Airport, it got clearer. Moreover, the view down to the sea and ground was delightful with presumably good air quality.

Even in the plane, I got two additional papers: one was Travel Record Declaration and the other was Health Declaration Form. It was repetitively broadcast that without installing the app for quarantine or having no specific address for staying in South Korea entrance to South Korea could be prohibited.

 Tip! Do not ever think of coming to South Korea without a smart phone!

 The plane landed on the airport around 1:30 pm. I expected that getting out of the plane could take more time. I was wrong. I was the last passenger to get out of the plane.

 There were two new facilities between the gates and customs: One is for dividing the passengers with symptoms and the ones without symptoms. The other is the booths for giving PCR tests to the passengers with the symptoms. I did not have any symptoms and went straight to the place I should submit the papers I had filled in. One of the persons waiting helped me download and install the app. The rest were the same as usual.

Oops! The last hurdle. It was not allowed to take the usual public transportation. I could not take a bus, taxi, and the subway. The central and municipal governments had already arranged special buses and taxis to transport the passengers to make sure they do not drop by other places and get in touch with the public. The other option was using her or his private car. I had asked my sister to drive my car to the airport. She drove my car to the airport and went back to her place taking a bus. I knew it must be bothering, but I thought it was the best way.

Before departing, I made a call to the public officer who automatically got registered to be in charge of me with installing the app and told her that I would depart for my apartment.

 Arriving in the apartment, I made another call to her. I was told that another one would replace her and I should erase the current app and reinstall the same one again. I downloaded and installed the app again and filled in my personal information such as my name, address, and GPS location. I also filled the ID of the person who was in charge of me.

 There are two purposes for the app: the first one is to make users who are quarantining check their conditions such as body temperature and send the information to the officer in charge and the second one is to keep eyes on the location of the users.

The officer called me again and guided me over how to use the app. She told me that I should check my condition twice a day at 9:00 am and 3:00 pm and send the data through the app. Additionally, she informed me that I should go to the public health center and get the PCR test in the morning the next day.

I arrived at the center 10:00 am. The facilities for testing PCR were located at the parking lot behind the main building. There were three people fully armored with gowns, gloves, masks, and goggles. There was no one waiting for taking the test. They used the two narrow straw-like things. The shorter one was inserted to the mouth and the longer one was into the nostril. It felt momentarily painful to get the long stick deep into my nostril. But, I did not cry.

The officer in charge of me visited me at 2 pm at my apartment. She gave me a packet for sanitation and the notification that I quarantine until 12:00 pm on 2^nd in October. The packet had a set of masks, sanitizer, a special waste basket, etc. It was interesting to get the basket, but I thought medically it made sense to have it. Lastly, she let me know a box of an array of foods is supposed to arrive in three days.

 The next morning, I got a call. I was negative. I was relieved because I had had comparatively lots of dinners and parties with friends back in Fukuoka.

 At last I felt I came back.