Drivers on March 22 queue in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, to buy hoe (raw fish) via drive-through sellers. (Pohang)
By Lee Kyoung Mi and Lee Jihae
The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has seen Korea's drive-through screening clinic system being adopted in countries such as the U.S., Japan and Germany.
Because social distancing is crucial to stemming COVID-19, the drive-through system is also being adopted by the distribution and other sectors in Korea.
For example, a drive-through system is being used to sell hoe (raw fish) in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Vendors pre-arrange gochujang (spicy red pepper paste), vegetables for ssam (the culinary practice of wrapping food in lettuce) and hoe and sell them to buyers who never leave their vehicles.
The system is a hit with consumers.
Strawberries in Gochang-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province, flowers and flowerpots in Daejeon and milk in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, are also being sold via drive-through to a positive response.
The beginning of the school year has been delayed three times, the latest setting a start date of to April 6, and textbooks have also been distributed through a drive-through method.
Below are photos showing how the drive-through system has been adopted by Korean society.
A parent of a student at Yeongcheon Middle School in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, receives from the student's homeroom teacher the textbooks for the new school year while remaining in his car. (Yonhap News)
The military has also adopted the drive-through system. The Ministry of National Defense has called off or scaled down enlistment events for new soldiers, regulated the movements of friends and families of recruits who came to see the latter off, and allowed the entry of only military personnel. The photo above was taken on March 9 near the battalion of the Republic of Korea Army's 6th Division of new soldiers in the town of Dongsong-eup, Cheorwon-gun County, Gangwondo-Province. (Yonhap News)
As daycare centers are closed due to COVID-19, local governments are lending toys to children staying at home. The cities of Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do Province, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, and Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province are sanitizing and lending toys via drive-through to those making reservations. The photo above shows the lending of toys via drive-through in Jeonju on March 24. (Jeonju Support Center for Childcare)
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