Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon "422 Entertainment Venues Including Room Salons and Clubs to Suspend Operations Until the 19th"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has issued a 'gathering ban' order until the 19th for 422 entertainment establishments still operating, including room salons, clubs, and colatecs. This is a forced measure to effectively halt their operations.

Mayor Park stated in an online briefing related to COVID-19 on the 8th, "We have conducted on-site inspections and recommended temporary closures for 2,146 clubs, colatecs, and entertainment bars across Seoul. Currently, 80% of these establishments are already closed or suspended, with only 422 still operating."

He added, "Close contact is inevitable in such venues, making it practically impossible to follow quarantine guidelines. Especially, clubs near Hongdae and room salons, entertainment bars, and colatecs centered in Gangnam have recently become problematic. Therefore, the government has designated the period until the 19th as a high-intensity 'social distancing' phase and decided to issue gathering ban orders for these entertainment establishments."

In Seoul, it was confirmed that a female employee working at a large room salon in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day. Currently, all 118 people who had contact with her are under self-quarantine and undergoing thorough investigation. The entertainment establishment is closed, and 18 people who have received test results so far have tested negative.

Mayor Park said, "We understand the public's fatigue with the temporary pause, but vigilance is still necessary. Especially, some young people should refrain from reckless behavior that endangers the community," adding, "The case of confirmed patients related to Gangnam entertainment establishments amplifies our concerns."

Meanwhile, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Seoul increased by 14 compared to the previous day, with 10 of them having entered from overseas countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, two COVID-19 related deaths, which had not occurred in Seoul before, were reported.