[Initial View] 0.5 and Alpha

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Personally, I consider 'jjum-o (0.5)' a very poignant yet comedic number. It reminds me of a past variety show where comedian Park Myungsoo often referred to himself as 'jjum-o (the 1.5th person)'. The 1.5 represents Park Myungsoo’s own position, reluctantly squeezed out as the second-in-command who refuses to accept being second, while knowing he can never surpass Yoo Jae-suk as number one. It evokes an image of someone unable to find a place between ideal and reality, ultimately settling awkwardly in the middle. Recently, when the government announced social distancing measures amid the third resurgence of COVID-19, this old 'jjum-o joke' came to mind again.

On the 29th of last month, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced the government’s response regarding social distancing levels in the metropolitan area. Inside and outside circles predicted the government would raise the metropolitan area to level 2.5 among the five established levels (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3). The government had expanded the social distancing levels from the original three (1, 2, 3) to five earlier last month, using the daily average number of confirmed cases as the criterion. ▲Level 1 is fewer than 100 cases in the metropolitan area ▲Level 1.5 is 100 or more ▲Level 2 is over 300 cases for a consecutive week ▲Level 2.5 is 400 to 500 or more ▲Level 3 is 800 to 1000 or more. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Central Disease Control Headquarters, the average number of locally transmitted cases for the week of the 23rd to the 29th was 416, thus meeting the criteria for raising to level 2.5.

However, what was announced was not 'jjum-o' but an unexpected '+α'. Alpha (α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and is used as an unknown quantity when the exact amount to be added is unclear. Under the current level 2, only certain businesses such as entertainment bars, karaoke bars, emotional pubs, and horse racing are required to close, and indoor sports facilities must close after 9 p.m. But on that day, the government introduced a so-called '2+α' level, ordering indoor sports facilities that engage in intense activities like aerobics or Zumba to suspend operations as if under level 2.5. This reversed not only the social distancing level based on case numbers but also the criteria for business suspensions. From today (the 1st), the metropolitan area will maintain this 2+α level, while non-metropolitan areas will maintain level 1.5 (raised) guidelines until the 14th of this month. Busan, where community spread is severe, independently raised its social distancing to level 3 until the university entrance exam (Suneung) on the 3rd.

This unknown +α level and the related quarantine measures, coming from the mouth of the Republic of Korea’s second-in-command, sparked ridicule and debate among those trying to read between the lines, with comments like 'a new 2.25 level with an extra decimal place' and 'the psychology of ordering two servings but asking for three at a restaurant.' The fundamental principles of the existing social distancing guidelines have been dismantled, and within the quarantine rules that have become as ambiguous as alpha, citizens might end up fighting among themselves. While the government’s sweat to catch both 'economy and quarantine' is understandable, the government itself knows well how attempts to catch two rabbits usually end.

Last year’s biggest hit in the publishing industry, the essay "I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki" (Baek Sehee, Heun), deals with the widespread social issue of 'depression.' The title effectively compresses the situation where extreme despair and trivial desires arise simultaneously, contributing to its popularity. This means there are many people who are stuck, struggling to decide what to do. The government does not seem different. If the author permits, I would like to change today’s column title to: "I Want to Stop COVID-19 but I Don’t Want to Go to Level 3."