Gyeongbuk Province Eases Social Distancing to Level 1 in 12 Basic Local Governments ... "Reflecting Regional Characteristics"

From 0:00 on the 26th, applied to about half of the 23 cities and counties
...Lifting of private gathering ban and easing of capacity limits in religious facilities

Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo is seen announcing the policy to ease social distancing measures for 12 counties during an emergency briefing on the 23rd.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-ho] Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 23rd that starting from midnight on the 26th, it will lift the 'ban on private gatherings of five or more people' in 12 counties with populations under 100,000 and conduct a pilot implementation of social distancing, the first of its kind nationwide.

Since March, Gyeongbuk Province explained that this measure is a response to the stable local quarantine situation and the difficult local economy in relation to the pilot implementation of the revised distancing plan by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. However, given the ongoing nationwide spread, the future outcome is being closely watched.

According to Gyeongbuk Province, as of April 22, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the 12 counties with populations under 100,000?Gunwi, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok, Cheongdo, Goryeong, Seongju, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Uljin, and Ulleung?is 14. Among these areas, six counties reported no new cases in the past week.

The core contents of the new Level 1 social distancing revision for these areas include lifting the ban on private gatherings of five or more people, strengthening the requirement for local government notification for events from 500 or more attendees to 300 or more, generally tightening facility usage limits (for example, increasing the area per person in singing rooms and indoor sports facilities from 4㎡ to 6㎡), lifting usage limits for movie theaters, performance halls, and retail businesses over 300㎡, and easing religious facility capacity from 30% to 50%.

The aging rate in the pilot implementation areas is 35.29%, which is higher than the national average of 16.6%, and elderly individuals have a higher fatality rate if infected. Accordingly, continuous quarantine inspections of elderly facilities will be conducted, with twice-daily temperature checks for users and weekly or more frequent disinfection activities by happiness helpers at senior centers.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, emphasized, "The pilot implementation of the revised social distancing plan will shift from a livelihood recovery centered on Gyeongsangbuk-do to one led by the private sector."