The playground was gradually opened, but the gym remained closed for over two years.
Local sports club member, “Distance has been lifted, but why isn’t the gym open yet?”
Most of the city/provincial offices of education inform them of opening, and Daegu decides whether to open after the 23rd considering the situation.
Source – Clip Art Korea
A 53-year-old man from Nam-gu, Daegu, who has been playing badminton as a hobby for 16 years, has been able to do indoor sports as the quarantine guidelines have been relaxed, but he is having a hard time finding a suitable space. Although there are about 30 private stadiums in Daegu, it is difficult to find a place to play badminton because there are more than 200 clubs registered with the Daegu Badminton Association.
Person A said, “In a situation where indoor sports facilities are insufficient, the school gymnasium that was used before Corona 19 needs to be opened as soon as possible. said.
Since social distancing measures were lifted last month, voices calling for the opening of indoor sports facilities in Daegu schools to the public are growing. Unlike most areas of the country that have already opened up, Daegu is still cautious about opening up.
School sports facilities are divided into outdoor (field) and indoor (gymnasium). The stadium has been partially open from 2020, when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, but the gym is not yet open to the public.
As social distancing measures were lifted on the 18th of last month, as quarantine guidelines were greatly eased, the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education announced through an official letter to actively open playgrounds, but gyms were excluded.
Citizens are arguing that it is time to open the school gymnasium to the outside in line with the trend of easing quarantine and restoring daily life. Prior to Corona 19, students used it in the evening to avoid overlapping usage hours, and there is no reason not to open the gym any more when school activities such as the resumption of field trips are being normalized.
B (46), a member of the badminton group, said, “In badminton, it is particularly important to secure an indoor space as it is greatly affected by the weather. “Most city and provincial offices of education use official documents to guide citizens to open gyms, but only Daegu is lukewarm,” he pointed out.
Currently, among 17 metropolitan and provincial education offices across the country, except for Daegu, Busan, and Jeonbuk, they are recommending the opening of the outside of the school gym by sending an official letter to each school.
The Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education changed the standard on the 1st to recommend that schools open indoor sports facilities to the outside. Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education announced on the 18th of last month that the distancing measures were lifted and that all indoor and outdoor sports facilities were allowed to be opened. On the 27th of last month, the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education also requested each school to cooperate in opening all school facilities, including the gymnasium, to the outside.
However, among school administrators, who are still burdened with the risk of infection within the school, there are opinions that it is premature to open the gym outside.
The principal of a private high school in Suseong-gu, Daegu, said, “It is true that gymnasiums need to be opened to provide a space for all citizens to engage in sports activities. “It is true that it is still burdensome to open the city to the outside. It is not too late to open it when the decline becomes more evident,” he said.
An official from the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education said, “Opening the gymnasium after the sports ground can cause confusion at the site. First, we will decide whether to open the gym after the 23rd after comprehensively reviewing whether or not the quarantine obligation for COVID-19 confirmed patients is lifted and the local infection situation.”
