By Oh Hyun Woo and Lee Jihae

Korea's containment of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak is receiving kudos from around the world, with foreign media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and ABC of the U.S. lauding Seoul's measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

The nation's successful management of COVID-19 is not only because of outstanding medical staff and knowhow but also the people helping one another.

Pharmacist Suh Ik-hwan has directly made and distributed for free hand sanitizer to the public.

From his pharmacy in Gwangju's Seo-gu District, he began distributing on Feb. 2 hand sanitizer he made. In a phone interview on Feb. 14, he said, "An old lady came to our pharmacy and hesitated to buy hand sanitizer because it was more expensive than she thought."

"This made me feel bad for her, so I opened an alcohol container on the spot, made hand sanitizer and gave it to her (for free)."

Suh has since spent an hour or two each day making hand sanitizer, giving out about 1,500 containers of them. "The government has taken urgent measures to boost the supply of hand sanitizers and masks, so the lack of the items is being solved," he said.

"The situation has been stabilized, so I think I can stop making hand sanitizer."

In addition, certain landlords have lowered rent for store owners whose business has slumped as a result of corona 19.

The city government of Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, on Feb. 14 announced, "Sixty-four landlords at Nambu Market, traditional markets and old parts of town have decided to lower rent 10% for at least the next three months."

"The decision was made to alleviate the suffering of sole business proprietors whose sales have declined due to corona 19, foster stable economic activities of leaseholders and minimize their losses."



Evacuees from Wuhan, China -- the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak -- were returned to Korea on special flights and sent to quarantine centers in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do Province, and Jincheon-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. They have received support from other Koreans.

The Asan city government said that as of Feb. 11, it had received KRW 910 million worth of aid from all over the country including hand sanitizers, masks and donations. Jincheon-gun announced that as of Feb. 6, its aid received was worth KRW 400 million from 55 civic organizations and groups.

Evacuees from Wuhan who completed their two weeks of quarantine left placards expressing their gratitude when leaving the quarantine facilities from Feb. 15-16. They posted the cards on the windows of their buses and exchanged greetings with those who came to see them off.

A resident of Seoul's Gangdong-gu District also made and distributed for free hand sanitizers to delivery personnel, and a Jeju Island resident donated free masks. Both of them wished to remain anonymous.

A women's association also donated relevant items to help people amid the outbreak, thus showing how the public in Korea is helping one another in tackling COVID-19.

hyunw54@korea.kr