Museums and Art Galleries in Seoul Shut Down Again as the City Sees a Second Wave of Coronavirus Cases

Museums and galleries in Seoul, South Korea are closing their
doors—once again—to preserve public health amid what appears to be
a new wave of COVID-19 infections.

South Korea was praised for its exemplary response to
the pandemic, which allowed it to begin responsibly reopening
weeks before any other nation in the world. But just as the latest
phase of restrictions were eased on May 6, the country suffered a
setback. On Wednesday, South Korea reported the highest number of
new COVID-19 infections it has seen in the past seven weeks.

In response, officials have re-implemented shutdown measures in
the metropolitan area of Seoul, where 67 of the 79 new
reported cases are located, according to the Guardian.
Companies have also been urged to adhere to flexible working
schedules.

Museums and art galleries, along with parks, theaters, and other
public spaces will be closed starting Friday, May 29 for two weeks,
according to health minister Park Neung-hoo. “We have decided
to strengthen all quarantine measures in the metropolitan area for
two weeks from tomorrow to June 14,” he told the AFP. Bars, nightclubs,
and other entertainment venues—identified as a major vector for the
spike—have also shuttered.

Following the announcement, the Seoul Museum of Art quickly
updated its website, stating that
it is “temporarily closed for the safety of citizens and the
prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 disease.” Other shuttered
facilities in the culture-rich capital include the Seoul Museum of
Art (Seosomun-dong); Nam-Seoul Museum of Art; Buk-Seoul Museum
of Art; SeMA Bunker; SeMA Warehouse; Paik Nam June Memorial Museum;
and SeMA Nanji Residency. Leeum, the Samsung Museum of Art, is
offering visitors a virtual reality tour while it remains
closed.

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as the City Sees a Second Wave of Coronavirus Cases appeared
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