Daegu City Allows 'Extended Cafe and Restaurant Hours' Amid Controversy... Gyeongju City Also Decides to Permit Until 11 PM

Singing Practice Rooms, Indoor Standing Concert Venues, Reading Rooms, and Study Cafes Extended from 9 PM to 11 PM

Kim Hojin, Deputy Mayor of Gyeongju City, is giving a public briefing on the 17th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Amid controversy over Daegu City's announcement to extend business hours until 11 PM for certain industries, Gyeongju City has also decided to extend the permitted hours for cafes and restaurants similarly to Daegu City.

On the 17th, Kim Ho-jin, Deputy Mayor of Gyeongju City, announced in a briefing to citizens that from 0:00 on the 18th until the 31st, the current Level 2 social distancing measures will be maintained, but a relaxed Level 2 will be applied to some facilities.

Accordingly, cafes, which were previously only allowed takeout and delivery, will now be able to operate until 11 PM, the same as restaurants. Additionally, karaoke rooms, indoor standing concert halls, reading rooms, and study cafes, which were allowed to operate until 9 PM, will have their operating hours extended until 11 PM.

Convenience facilities within apartments and cultural and educational lecture programs at community centers, which had been suspended, will be allowed to operate under strict compliance with quarantine rules. Bathhouses, arcades, multi-rooms, and beauty salons will have their occupancy limits relaxed from one person per 8㎡ to one person per 4㎡.

Religious facilities, where regular worship services, masses, and Buddhist ceremonies were only allowed online, will now be permitted to hold these events with up to 20% of seating capacity; however, gatherings and meals organized by religious facilities remain prohibited.

Other facilities will continue to follow the existing Level 2 social distancing guidelines without change.

Deputy Mayor Kim Ho-jin explained, "The government decided to maintain Level 2 social distancing in non-metropolitan areas due to concerns about resurgence, with about 500 new cases nationwide daily, but in Gyeongju City, we judged that the situation has somewhat stabilized, leading to this decision."

Meanwhile, regarding Daegu City's announcement to extend business hours until 11 PM for certain industries, the government pointed out that "many local governments raised issues because Daegu City announced this first without prior consultation."

Son Young-rae, Social Strategy Team Leader of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at the regular briefing on the 17th, "Since both the central government and local governments have equal authority over social distancing levels, local governments also have the authority to adjust detailed aspects of the levels," adding, "Daegu City's measures cannot be seen as exceeding the authority under the current Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act."

Son also said, "However, such important matters can cause controversies regarding fairness between industries or regions among local governments or balloon effects," and added, "Tomorrow, we will hold a working-level meeting with each local government to give further attention to these issues and urge joint efforts."