TEACHERGLADHE STAYEDIN SEOUL
DONAL MacErlane, who works as a teacher in Seoul, admits that he considered coming home when the first cases of the novel coronavirus were diagnosed in South Korea but now has no regrets that he stayed where he was.
‘When I first heard about the outbreak, like most people I was worried, but truthfully thought it would pass,’ says the 26-year-old from Jenkinstown.
He, like many others, assumed that as there had been a number of outbreaks such as Ebola, Mers and Sars in the past, which fortunately did not reach pandemic levels, that it would pass.
Soon, however, South Korea found itself dealing with a large number of cases in mid-February, after a woman who had COVID-19 attended a gathering at a Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony church in Daegu.
‘Over here, despite the government handling the virus very well, the levels of infections almost exploded overnight,’ says Donal. ‘For a while, it was quite scary. Initially, it seemed like Ireland and Europe might be safer than here, so there was a temptation to go back,’ he admits. ‘Although, to be honest, the idea of transferring through an international airport struck me as quite dangerous at that time, so I decided to avoid it.’
Drawing on its experience of dealing with MERS, the South Korean government was able to respond rapidly to the first surge of cases and get the situation under control.
‘At this time, as the government here was really getting it under control, I watched the RTE news in shock as it spread first from Italy and then to Ireland,’ recalls Donal. ‘It’s just the kind of thing I could never imagine happening in Ireland - we always seem quite lucky in avoiding them somehow.’
Donal has continued to follow the Irish response to the COVID-19 pandemic and compares it with the approach being taken in South Korea.
‘Living here has allowed me to make some comparisons,’ he explains. ‘Probably the most surprising thing I can report on from over here is just how light touch the government’s policy has been. It’s not uncommon to see restaurants and bars thronged with people. Public transport remains busy and generally, most people have been living their lives without much change
‘ The one element of the government’s strategy which is strict is the aggressive testing of people and tracing of those who came into contact with them,’ he points out.
‘ To give an example, last month a couple in the town where I am living were infected with the Coronavirus. Everyone in our area was sent a message letting us know which stores and parks they had been to in the past three days along with the times that they were there. Anyone who was at those areas at those times was told to get tested. The response was quick and direct but also successful, we haven’t had a new case in our area since.’
Alongside the comprehensive policy of testing and tracking, people in South Korea, as in other Asian countries, have no problems with wearing masks when shopping or using public transport.
He says that there has been no general lockdown outside of museums, sports games and schools. ‘I have been watching the lockdown in Ireland and have been surprised just how severe the lockdown seems to be over there. But, I am also glad that despite the discomfort and boredom that everyone seems to be facing, it seems to be being well adhered to and respected.’
Donal works as an English teacher in an elementary school, so like many teachers here, he has been doing classes over zoom. ‘It has been a mixed bag in terms of results but is definitely better than nothing for the students. Some of the students’ parents are quite busy so they end up taking their children with them as they are driving places or at the office and we teach them on the go.’ They have even had a student taking a class while travelling on an airplane!
With the infection rate South Korea seeming to have stabilised, Donal says they on course to go back to school from next week, with sports games starting back last week, albeit with no fans.
‘I am hopeful life can turn to normal soon,’ he says.