Eating Allowed in Cafes... Compliance with 'Fewer than 5 People, Within 1 Hour' Required

Coffee Available at Cafe, Open 5 PM to 9 PM

The government strengthened social distancing to level 2.5 on the 31st to block the spread of COVID-19 in the Seoul metropolitan area. On the same day, a citizen is filling out an electronic entry log at the Starbucks Dongsung-gil Entrance branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The government has allowed dining inside cafe stores. However, gatherings of five or more people are restricted. Additionally, it strongly recommends that the time spent inside the store be limited to within one hour.

While extending the social distancing measures of level 2.5 in the metropolitan area and level 2 in non-metropolitan areas until the end of this month, the government has eased some quarantine standards for cafes and other establishments.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) announced on the 16th, "Across the country, restaurants and cafes (general restaurants, snack bars, and bakeries) may allow consumption of food and beverages inside the store from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.," adding, "When groups of four or fewer customers order drinks and desserts, the time spent inside the store should be limited to within one hour, and masks must be worn when not eating."

The quarantine rules to be followed in cafes are the same as the level 2 social distancing rules for restaurants. The CDSCH stated, "From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, only takeout and delivery are allowed," and "If the area is 50㎡ or larger, tables or seats must be spaced one seat apart so that customers use only 50% of the seating capacity." Violations of quarantine rules will result in fines of up to 3 million KRW for operators and 100,000 KRW for customers.