Cherry blossom venues reopen to public after 3 years

Cherry blossom flowers have fully bloomed at an apartment complex in Suyeong District, Busan, Sunday / Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

"Since 2019 the COVID-19 pandemic has felt like a long, harsh winter, so I am delighted to see the flowers blossom and feel the warm breeze. I hope this year's springtime gives a little hope to everyone and brings us closer to returning to normalcy," said Jeon Sang-a, 29, a Yongin-based office worker who plans to go flower-viewing in a park near her home this coming weekend.

Although major cherry blossoms festivals have been canceled again this year, as in 2020 and 2021, several venues known for their scenic locations in Seoul and provincial cities have been open to spring picnic-goers since last week. It is the first time in three years that they are open to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Yeouiseo-ro, a road circling half of Seoul's Yeouido that is renowned for its spring flower viewing spots, will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, according to the district office, March 22. The area was closed during flower blooming season for the past two years due to coronavirus-related policies.

Songpa Trail, a 21-kilometer circular walk in Songpa District connecting Seongnae and Jangji streams with the Han River, is also open to visitors. Seokchon Lake Park, another popular flower-viewing destination in the district, also welcomes spring visitors, despite the cancellation of the festival due to the spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant.

Other popular cherry blossom locations in Seoul, including Yeouido Hangang Park, Seoul Children's Grand Park and Seoul National Cemetery, are open this year. The flowering time for Seoul and the outer-Seoul area in Gyeonggi Province is from March 28 to April 1, according to the Korea Forest Service.

The cherry blossom festivals in Changwon of South Gyeongsang Province, Gyeryong of South Chungcheong Province and Gangneung of Gangwon Province have also been canceled due to the pandemic. However, the festival locations filled with cherry blossom trees will be open.

Health experts advise visitors to wear masks and follow social-distancing guidelines during outdoor activities.

"We are now at a point of acquiring natural herd immunity against the virus, and the health authorities and public both seem to accept this reality and allow a certain level of outdoor activities," said Chun Eun-mi, a pulmonologist at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, regarding the relaxed measures.

"The contamination risk is relatively low outdoors since the virus is less transmissible under ultraviolet radiation. However, it is still important to wear a KF mask at all times and follow the basic quarantine measures such as keeping a distance of a minimum of one meter, to prevent transmission to high-risk groups," Chun said, suggesting to choose a less crowded time and venue for outdoor activities.

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