People pray in front of Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul on Dec. 25, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — This year’s Christmas on Friday was unlikely any other, as the raging coronavirus pandemic forced churches to hold services online and kept people off the streets on a typically bustling and cheerful holiday.
The landmark Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul held its Christmas Mass virtually for the first time, with only 15 people, including staff, in attendance to comply with the government’s antivirus measures.
Most congregants participated through a live broadcast.
“I feel sad that COVID-19 shows no signs of abating,” Archbishop of Seoul Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung said in his Christmas message.
“I believe it is a time to show greater care and brotherly love to those who are neglected and poor.”
South Korea reported a record 1,241 new cases of the coronavirus the previous day as the government continued to weigh the need to raise its social distancing scheme to the highest Level 3.
The greater Seoul area is currently under Level 2.5, while most other parts of the nation are under Level 2.
Worshipers (on screen) take part in an online Christmas service at Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul on Dec. 25, 2020, due to the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
“This year, because of COVID-19, my child couldn’t go to school and I had a lot of worries,” Yoo Sang-cheon, a 45-year-old father, said at the cathedral with his second-grade son.
“I hope next year we’ll have no coronavirus worries.”
At Somang Presbyterian Church, one of the largest churches in the country located in southern Seoul, doors were shut and pews were empty, leaving only six choralists singing hymns for a virtual service.
Outside the chapel doors, church members had posted notes saying, “I miss you, God,” and “I wait for the day these doors will open wide and I will pray.”
A major shopping street is almost vacant in Seoul on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2020, amid fears of the coronavirus. (Yonhap)
The food alleys near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul were deserted if not for the motorcycles making deliveries.
A 32-year-old, surnamed Jeong, held take-out sushi in one hand and a cake in the other as he walked the alleys with his wife.
“We wanted something special to eat because it’s Christmas, but in order to refrain from eating out we got take-out and are going home,” he said.
“The empty streets look lonely but I’m relieved because it means that people are being careful,” he added.
The scene was similar in the hip neighborhood around Hongdae.
A restaurant worker said sales had dropped by more than half compared to the end of last year.
“I think people are staying home even more because they figure it will be crowded on Christmas,” he said.
Seongsan Ilchulbong, a popular tourist attraction in the southern resort island of Jeju, is closed on Dec. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
Tourist attractions across the country were also quieter than usual.
Some mountain hikers had to return home after finding out that national parks at Mount Moak and Mount Daedun in North Jeolla Province had been closed since Thursday.
A string of cancellations were reported at accommodations in the southern resort island of Jeju following the provincial government’s decision to close down key sites, like Mount Halla and Bijalim Forest.
While sunrise spots on the country’s eastern coast were also closed as a precautionary measure, some visitors reportedly trespassed onto the beaches.
But screening centers across the nation were busy with people waiting to get tested for the virus.
A line formed in front of a temporary screening center in Incheon, west of Seoul, even before the center’s opening time.
“I don’t have symptoms but felt uncomfortable and decided to come,” a man in his fifties said.
“It’s a sad reality for both people who came to get tested and health workers working even on Christmas day,” he said.
People shop at a mall in Seoul on Dec. 25, 2020. (Yonhap)
Some department stores and indoor shopping malls also were crowded in the afternoon. Roads were jammed and parking spaces were unavailable at some venues.
“Because of the cars that were heading out to the east Busan outlet, it took more than 30 minutes to get home. It was like seeing a traffic jam during a golden holiday,” said a resident in the southeastern port city of Busan.
In Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, large supermarkets and shopping malls were bustling with Christmas shoppers.
“There was a long line in front of the entrance as people were waiting to be checked for fever and there were more people inside than I had expected,” a shopper surnamed Yoon said.
“I felt anxious, so I just got what I needed and got out quickly.”
(Yonhap)
