"Level 2 Restrictions During Chuseok... Indoor Gatherings Over 50 and Village Festivals Prohibited (Comprehensive)"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the core measures of Social Distancing Level 2 will be applied during the 'Chuseok Special Quarantine Period' from the 28th of this month to the 11th of next month.

Park Neung-hoo, the first head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, announced this at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the same day.

Gatherings and events of more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors are prohibited, and village festivals, local festivals, and traditional games must be conducted within the limit of the number of participants. All sports events such as professional baseball, soccer, and Ssireum matches will continue to be held without spectators as before.

By region, in the metropolitan area, the operation ban on 11 types of high-risk facilities will be maintained for two weeks before and after the holiday. The targets are ▲clubs and room salons (entertainment bars) ▲colateks ▲danran pubs ▲gamseong pubs ▲hunting pochas ▲karaoke rooms ▲indoor standing concert halls ▲indoor group exercise (intense GX types) ▲buffets ▲door-to-door sales direct sales promotion centers ▲large academies (300 or more people), etc.

If high-risk facilities violate the assembly ban, which means suspension of business, they may be fined up to 3 million won under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, and if confirmed cases occur, claims for hospitalization, treatment costs, and quarantine expenses will be requested.

Small gatherings and meals at churches in the metropolitan area will continue to be prohibited, and worship services should, in principle, be conducted in a non-face-to-face manner.

In the metropolitan area, quarantine measures for restaurants and movie theaters will also be strengthened. General restaurants, cafes, and bakeries must maintain a 1-meter distance between tables, and if this is difficult, they must comply with one of the following: 'leaving one seat empty,' 'spacing tables apart,' or 'installing partitions or screens between tables.'

Movie theaters and performance halls in the metropolitan area must also comply with leaving one seat empty, and amusement parks and water parks will operate by reservation and limit the number of users to about half.

Visitors to movie theaters and amusement parks must wear masks at all times, and each facility must strictly follow quarantine rules such as managing visitor logs and regular ventilation and disinfection.

On the other hand, in non-metropolitan areas, only five types of high-risk facilities?entertainment bars, colateks, danran pubs, gamseong pubs, and hunting pochas?will continue to be subject to operation suspension. From October 5 to 11, local governments may adjust measures according to regional situations.

Park said, "Considering the different COVID-19 situations and risk factors between the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, we plan to differentiate quarantine measures by region."

However, for door-to-door sales direct sales promotion centers, a two-week assembly ban has been imposed from September 28 to October 11, and local governments cannot independently ease this.

For six types of high-risk facilities?karaoke rooms, buffets, large academies (300 or more people), indoor standing concert halls, indoor group exercise (intense GX types), and door-to-door sales direct sales promotion centers?core quarantine rules will be mandatory for each facility.

The government plans to decide on whether to adjust the social distancing level after the special quarantine period in the first week of October.

Park emphasized, "Whether the slight stabilization we are seeing now will continue or lead to a larger resurgence depends on this Chuseok holiday," adding, "The future situation will develop very differently depending on how we spend Chuseok."

He added, "We will devise quarantine measures that are realistic and well accepted by the public until the end of the year to control and prevent a possible large-scale outbreak in the fall."