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The vacation season has begun in late July and early August.
It is the first time in three years to enjoy the beach without a mask, but it is said that the number of vacationers has decreased compared to last year.
Reporter Jo Jae-geun visited Gangwon's East Coast Beach.
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While the rainy season paused for a while, vacationers flocked to the beach.
Jump into the water even in rough waves and enjoy the cool waves and sea breeze.
The feeling of freedom is greater as the mask is removed after 3 years, and you can comfortably go to and from the beach anywhere instead of using a fixed entrance.
[Park Se-ha / Vacationer: (Last year) I was wearing a mask, so the mask was wet and a little stuffy, but this year I feel cooler and the air is cooler and I don’t sweat
. is not.
Since the opening of the beach, the cumulative number of vacationers who have visited the east coast of Gangwon-do is 870,000, a decrease of 4.2% from last year.
Except for Gangneung, which increased by 87%, it decreased significantly in all regions.
The prolonged rainy season and the re-spreading of the corona are presumed to be the cause.
[Golden Ja / Merchant near the beach: (Last year) It was hard.
But starting this year, I have to pay back a little bit, but now that I see text messages coming in again, Yangyang (the number of confirmed cases) has increased a bit.
That worries me a bit.]
Masks must be worn indoors, such as toilets and changing rooms, but it is even more worrisome as many vacationers come and go without wearing a mask.
Even some toilets don't even have a sign telling them to wear a mask.
[Scenicer: I came out of the shower and couldn't bring (mask).
People don't use it, so we don't use it together.]
Recently, as the possibility of a new corona epidemic has been raised, concerns are growing whether the nightmare of last year will be repeated at each beach and summer festival.
(Video coverage: Heo Chun, video editing: Ha Seong-won)