SAFETY MEASURES IN GREETING TOURISTS

[Anchor Lead]

Hadong-gun County in Gyeongsangnam-do Province attracts tourists with its picturesque landscape of poppies bursting into bloom. Although the official festival was canceled this year, the county is greeting tourists in a manner to ensure public safety, which is in line with the government's so-called "everyday life quarantine" guidelines.

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​Waves of red flowers stretch across a vast field. Hundreds of thousands of poppies are in full bloom. Tourists are busy snapping photos of their loved ones against the backdrop of the beautiful scene.

[Soundbite] CHO SOO-YEON(VISITOR) : "I stayed at home all the time. I couldn't come out. I am really happy to show my children a lot of flowers blooming across a vast field."

An official flower festival, which attracts over 300,000 people each year, was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But paths through the flower fields are open to the public.

[Soundbite] YOUN SANG-KI(HADONG COUNTY GOVERNOR) : "We first considered destroying the flower field but chose not to. We decided to take precautionary measures thoroughly and give hope to the people in these difficult times."

Visitors can appreciate the seasonal beauty while observing so-called "everyday life quarantine" guidelines. They are required to undergo temperature checks and sanitize themselves before entering the path. Hadong residents were once disappointed at the cancellation of the annual festival. But they are now happy to see tourists enjoy the flowers even in this limited manner.

[Soundbite] KIM YONG-SOO(FARMERS' COOPERATIVE) : "We host a festival of cosmos and buckwheat flowers every October. In spring, we plant poppies to hold a flower festival."

The Hadong poppies are expected to stay in bloom until Sunday, offering a spectacular sight to holidaymakers.