S. Korea setting up beach booking system to prevent large crowds

해수욕장 예약제부터 '혼잡도 신호등'...“여름 휴가철, 연휴 분산 사용하고 마스크 착용 지켜야”

The summer heat is scorching here in South Korea...but as the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing the government has come up with a beach booking systems to avoid overcrowding.
The COVID-19 situation in the country is showing no signs of diminishing.
The number of new cases soared to almost to 60 Thursday with further cluster infections in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Choi Jeong-yoon reports.
With summer holidays approaching for many in South Korea, the government has asked people to use their vacation time sparingly...while also following individual quarantine rules such as wearing masks.
In order to prevent large gatherings and to ensure safe distances between people, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has come up with its first-ever beach booking system.
Starting with beaches in Jeollanam-do Province in July, visitors must make reservations online using a government-run website.
An online traffic light will track how crowded beaches are.
Green light indicates the beach has the advised number of people.
This number is measured by dividing the whole area by three-point-two square meters, a standardized area for one person and a two-meter distance between others.
Yellow is between 100 to 200 percent of the recommended number, and red...over 200 percent. The traffic signal is updated every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile the government says there is the possibility of South Korea facing a resurgence of COVID-19 with the epidemic prolonging for years.
As securing an adequate number of intensive care beds is critical, health authorities will alter guidelines to discharge patients with dead viruses.
It's also considering expanding the intensified social distancing measures to the whole nation that have been implemented in metropolitan areas.
As of Thursday, South Korea reported 59 new cases of COVID-19, 86-percent of which are community-based transmissions.
Concerns rise as cases are scattered with new infections confirmed in the central city of Daejeon as well as Sejong and Chungcheongnam-do and Jeollabuk-do provinces.
This is the first time in six days that there have been more than 50 new cases.
Choi Jeong-yoon, Arirang News.