We aren't strictly in lockdown but this is what I have.
I was in the hospital for an unrelated problem when the virus was starting to hit the country. Around February 2, they enacted quarantine measures to prevent infections from reaching the hospital. That meant I couldn't have visitors.
A crowded waiting room, with a guy wearing a hat that says "Rehab Reject."
Quarantine screening inside the hospital. Initially during my first hospital stay, if you were in the hospital lobby without a mask, someone would give you one. They eventually figured out mask supplies were limited and stopped doing this.
Here's a quarantine stop at one of the hospital entrances. They give you a small form to fill out, with questions about symptoms, as well as things like "Have you been to China in the last 14 days?" "Are any of your family members quarantined?" and "Have you been to any religious services in the last 14 days?"
You get a sticker for passing through, and the sticker changes each day.
I found this digital bible amusingly monolithic.
My cats were happy to see me again after three weeks.
Masks have been hard to find, but I discovered I have accumulated a bunch of them over the years, including this one which came with a beer.
On February 21 I went to a violent eviction at a fisheries market. Everyone wore masks, but I think more to hide their faces than preventing the spread of the virus. The cluster infection that would blow up infections had occurred in a church on the other side of the country three days earlier. This picture shows a shoving match between the evictees and hired goons, while the riot police stood off to the side. It's lucky the virus didn't spread here.
I sent this image to a friend as an invitation to go exploring.
Abandoned toilet paper.
Remember to wash your hands.
A crowded alleyway.
On March 16, I went to a couple supermarkets to check on the toilet paper supply. It was like normal.
The convenience stores in my neighbourhood had so little shelf room, they would display toilet paper out front.
On a return trip to the hospital on March 24, the ER is cordoned off from the rest of the hospital, and there are tents outside in many places.
It's cherry blossom season which is proving hard for people to resist. Parks have been closed and even some flowering plants have been bulldozed to discourage visitors.
We have National Assembly elections on Wednesday, and the political parties have been out rallying. This is a small one, but one day I saw about 100 people gathered in a public square. Everyone is praising the president for his competent handling of the virus, except for the main opposition party who seem like they want to spread infections just because they would blame the president.
This is Itaewon, the foreigner part of Seoul next to a major US army garrison that's being closed down. Usually it's impossible to get a taxi there, but last Friday night at 3am it was empty taxis on either side of the street, as far as the eye could see.
