Gwangju City Extends Social Distancing Level 2 for 2 Weeks from the 18th... Partial Easing for Some Businesses Like Cafes

Kim Jong-hyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, is conducting an online briefing on COVID-19 at the city hall briefing room on the morning of the 16th. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City will extend the current Level 2 social distancing measures for two weeks, ending on the 17th.

Kim Jong-hyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju, stated during an online briefing on COVID-19 at 11:30 a.m. on the 16th, “The government has decided to extend the current social distancing measures for two weeks,” adding, “Gwangju City will also extend Level 2 social distancing from the 18th to the 31st in accordance with government policy, while adjusting quarantine measures for some facilities.”

Key quarantine measures such as banning gatherings and events of over 100 people and prohibiting private gatherings of five or more people will remain unchanged.

The main adjusted quarantine measures include: ▲ For cafes, where only takeout and delivery were allowed during business hours, the same standards as restaurants will now apply. Accordingly, in-store operations will be permitted from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

However, the city strongly recommends limiting the time spent inside the store to one hour if two or more people order only coffee, beverages, or desserts.

Only 50% of store seating may be used by leaving one table or seat empty between customers. If this is difficult to comply with, one of the following must be observed: maintaining a 1-meter distance between tables or installing partitions between tables.

▲ Bathhouse businesses will lift the suspension of sauna and steam room operations inside bathhouses, but will maintain the current restrictions of closing from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, limiting one person per 4㎡ of business area, and prohibiting food consumption.

▲ Religious activities will shift from non-face-to-face worship to face-to-face worship, allowing participation of up to 20% of seating capacity. Prohibitions on interregional exchanges and invitation events, as well as bans on gatherings and meals hosted by religious facilities, will remain in effect.

▲ The ban on parties and events at lodging facilities will remain. Additionally, strict management of room occupancy and mandatory posting of notices informing that individuals caught holding private parties will be asked to leave have been added.

Deputy Mayor Kim Jong-hyo emphasized, “With the extension of Level 2 social distancing into the new year, citizens’ daily lives have frozen like the cold winter, and the suffering of small business owners and merchants has deepened,” adding, “The next two weeks will determine the final success or failure of quarantine measures.”

He continued, “Thank you for adhering to the Level 2 social distancing rules to protect the Gwangju community,” and said, “The quarantine authorities will concentrate all their efforts to do their best in responding to COVID-19.”