A record 10 million people in the United States have filed for unemployment in the space of two weeks, sparking fears of a recession. Calls to reopen the economy and discussions about how to do that are growing. However, with 347,003 infected and 10,335 killed by the coronavirus pandemic, going back to business as normal is a foolish idea for the time being. South Korea is also fighting its own outbreak, but it has managed to get COVID-19 under control without shutting down its entire economy. Widespread usage of face masks, aggressive testing and tracing, and partial shutdowns are the tools Seoul has used. Can America emulate that success when the time is right?
Wearing a face mask while sick is a cultural norm in South Korea. No one looks at you funny if you wear a mask, and during a pandemic, people will look at you oddly if you aren’t wearing one. Given that many illnesses spread from coughing or sneezing, this is a very practical precaution. In fact, one of the things that makes the coronavirus so dangerous is that, according to Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 25% of those infected with the coronavirus could be completely symptom-free and are unaware they are carriers.
