황금연휴에 국내여행지 예약 급증...방역 당국 긴장

A closely-clustered spate of national holidays starting this week makes it possible for some people in South Korea to have a six-day vacation.
Many of those lucky people plan to travel around South Korea... soaking up the spring sunshine, but health authorities are stressing the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet and people should continue to avoid big groups and practice social distancing.
Jang Tae-hyun reports.
South Korea will celebrate Buddha's Birthday this Thursday, Labor Day this Friday, and Children's Day on Tuesday.
That means some people can end up with a 6-day vacation just by booking a day or two off work.
And many of those people are planning to take this chance to get out from the city.
Seoul Station has been relatively empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of passengers is slowly starting to increase.
After being stuck at home for much of the year so far, people are jumping on this chance to travel.
"My child hasn't been going to kindergarten for two months and we feel so frustrated staying at home for such a long time. That's why we are planning to go glamping."
Since it's almost impossible to travel overseas, people are heading to parts of the country that aren't too crowded.
"We are planning to travel for two nights and three days starting from this Thursday. Due to the coronavirus, we are heading to Damyang County where not many people are heading."
While traveling abroad is out of the question, many are planning to fly to Jeju Island.
The Transport Ministry said that around 26-hundred flights are operating during this vacation period, which is an eighty percent increase on the number of flights earlier this month.
However, health authorities are worried that this vacation might cause the spread of the coronavirus.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that people should travel in small groups and keep their distance from others.
Jang Tae-hyun, Arirang News