[Correspondent Column] The Road to the Endemic

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] These days, Manhattan in New York, USA, is full of vitality. Companies have lifted remote work policies, and children have returned to school. Long lines of tourists from around the world have begun to form at major tourist attractions. Restaurants and bars that were once empty are now packed with people. The recent scenes in Korea, where masks have been removed, are likely no different. It seems as if a party has started after a long period of suppression.

However, at this point of stepping into the endemic phase (endemic: periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases), our party must take a different form. Based on my personal experience of being diagnosed with COVID-19 a bit late in New York recently, this is not merely a warning about the possibility of a resurgence. In countries around the world that have endured the pandemic (global outbreak) for over two years, large and small wounds are already visible, like streets after a typhoon has passed. Charles Blow, a columnist for The New York Times (NYT), defined this as ‘pandemic PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).’ This expression carries a warning that the trauma deeply remaining even after the virus disappears should never be ignored or underestimated. Now is the time not only to suppress infections through ‘quarantine’ but also to face and care for the wounds left by COVID-19.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States recently surpassed one million. This is a scale close to the population of Ulsan Metropolitan City. U.S. President Joe Biden stated in a declaration, “There are one million empty chairs at family dinner tables,” calling it “a loss that cannot be replaced by anything.” Korea is also experiencing a great loss. Beneath the statistics of 23,744 cumulative deaths and a fatality rate of 0.13% (as of the 16th) lies the pain of many who have lost beloved parents, children, and friends.

Amid the chaos of the pandemic, many people were unable to properly mourn. Socially, blame and anger toward the infected filled the space instead of mourning. Prolonged social distancing caused precious daily lives to disappear. Conflicts such as inequality, discrimination, and hatred increased everywhere, and as the support chains for vulnerable groups were broken, ‘abnormal signs’ were also observed. Experts find the recent surge in hate crimes and gun violence in the U.S. linked to the pandemic. This is a clear reason why we must not simply return to normal life as it was.

In New York, once considered the epicenter of the U.S. COVID-19 crisis, small movements have begun to face these wounds. On the fourth floor of the Brooklyn Museum in New York, portraits drawn in sand are increasing weekly. This project work (Cracks in the Hourglass) allows those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 to mourn directly. The City created a memorial website for New Yorkers. On this site, you can see the images of about 2,600 of the approximately 40,000 New Yorkers who died from COVID-19. Despite ongoing concerns about resurgence, debates over COVID-19 memorials in various forms such as museums and memorial days continue. The New York Times (NYT) previously argued in an editorial titled ‘Why New York Needs a COVID Memorial’ that “coming together to mourn is how every community rebuilds.”

These movements also have implications for Korea, which has moved one step closer to endemic transition with the inauguration of the new government. Memorials in any form will not immediately resolve pandemic PTSD. However, they can create an opportunity to look after and confront the wounds left in our society. As President Biden ordered all federal buildings in the U.S. to fly flags at half-staff on the day the death toll surpassed one million, “to heal, we must remember.” Without this process, recovery or change is impossible. It will be too late after everything has ended.