"Going 'Short and Strong,' Yet Seoul Metropolitan Area Level 4 Extended Again... 'Downgrade to Level 3 if Cases Drop to 800s' (Comprehensive)"

Metropolitan Area Level 4 and Non-Metropolitan Area Level 3 Extended for 2 Weeks
Restrictions on Private Gatherings Maintained Across All Non-Metropolitan Areas
'Short and Intense Quarantine' Effectively Fails
Authorities: "Will Adjust Levels if Metropolitan Cases Drop to 800s"

Additional Goal of 7 Million First Vaccine Doses in August
"Aim to Achieve 50% First Dose and 30% Fully Vaccinated by End of This Month"

On the 6th, the government decided to extend the current social distancing measures of Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas, which were scheduled to end on the 8th, for an additional two weeks until the 22nd. During this period, the ban on private gatherings will remain in effect, allowing up to two people after 6 p.m. in the metropolitan area and up to four people in non-metropolitan areas. The streets of Myeongdong are deserted on this day.
Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The government has decided to extend the current social distancing measures?Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas?for two more weeks. This decision was made considering the still large scale of the outbreak, the spread of the Delta variant, the Liberation Day holiday, and the school reopening at the end of this month. The restriction allowing private gatherings of up to four people in all non-metropolitan areas will also be extended until the 22nd of this month.

Lee Ki-il, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Director of the Health and Medical Policy Office), stated at the COVID-19 regular briefing on the 6th, "Overall, the recent speed of the outbreak's spread has plateaued, but the scale remains large and it is still unclear whether a reversal will occur." He added, "This extension aims to decisively reverse the infection trend into a clear decline ahead of the vacation season, Liberation Day holiday, and the school reopening at the end of August. The goal is to reduce the daily average number of patients in the metropolitan area to below 900 and to halt the increase in cases in non-metropolitan areas."

In particular, along with the two-week extension of the distancing measures, the government also adjusted some regulations that had been applied at Level 3 or higher. Some provisions that were temporarily strengthened and applied differently from the principles under the current distancing levels have now been incorporated into the regular rules, and some new strengthening measures have also been included.

Though they said it would be short and intense... Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas until the 22nd

With this decision, Level 4 distancing measures will continue to be applied in the metropolitan area, and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas from the 9th to the 22nd. This means that the highest level of quarantine measures, Level 4, will have been in place in the metropolitan area for six weeks. When the authorities first decided to raise the level to 4, they stated they would "tighten the reins of quarantine briefly but intensely," but they have not been able to keep that promise. The measure allowing private gatherings of up to four people in all non-metropolitan areas has also been extended.

The authorities will maintain Level 4 in non-metropolitan areas with large outbreaks and encourage local governments to raise the level to 4 according to their criteria. Individual quarantine measures such as restrictions on private gatherings involving nighttime drinking or accommodations at parks, resorts, and beaches, as well as bans on parties, will also be maintained.

Lee Ki-il explained, "Currently, some non-metropolitan areas like Daejeon have already entered Level 4. Today, the proportion of confirmed cases in non-metropolitan areas is 38.3%," adding, "They are adjusting according to the number of patients based on autonomy and responsibility."

The quarantine authorities have stated that easing the level will be possible if the weekly daily average number of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area drops to the 800s. Lee Ki-il said, "The number of patients in the metropolitan area is currently decreasing significantly, with about 911 cases this week. If this number falls to the 800s, we believe level adjustment will be possible."

Changes in Quarantine Rules After August 9 (Source: Central Accident Management Headquarters, Ministry of Health and Welfare)

Changes to Level 3 and 4 distancing rules starting from the 9th

Additionally, since about a month has passed since the social distancing system was restructured, some stage-specific quarantine rules have been revised to reflect improvement requests from the field. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, explained, "The current quarantine strategy was actually created in February to March, and at that time, the rapid increase of the Delta variant, disaster relief laws for small business owners, and the reduction in fatality rates according to vaccination rates were not considered. Going forward, we will prepare overall quarantine strategies by considering various factors such as the number of confirmed cases, Delta variant trends, fatality rates, and most importantly, medical response capacity."

First, exceptions for private gatherings in Levels 2 and 3 will be adjusted, and in Level 4, exceptions for private gatherings will be applied more strictly. Rules that were temporarily applied only to sports business facilities and fully vaccinated individuals will be regularized, and no exceptions for private gatherings will be recognized at Level 4. However, in Levels 2 and 3, local governments may adjust exceptions for fully vaccinated individuals' private gatherings autonomously, considering regional circumstances.

For family gatherings, exceptions for private gatherings will not apply from Level 3 if the gathering involves immediate family members. The temporary allowance of up to 8 people for wedding ceremonies under Level 3 distancing will also be regularized. The quarantine rules for first birthday parties (Doljanchi), which had been divided between specialized Doljanchi venues and other types, will be unified, and gatherings of up to 16 people will be allowed even at Level 3..

Gatherings and events will have strengthened quarantine rules considering the risk level, necessity, and public sentiment. For weddings and funerals, the principle at Level 4 is that only relatives participate, but the current temporary rules will be regularized to allow up to one person per 4㎡ without distinguishing relatives, with a maximum of fewer than 50 people at Level 4. Essential events for official duties or business management will not have personnel restrictions, but the current temporary rules applied at Level 4 will be strengthened as regular rules to prohibit overnight stays even for essential events. Large-scale sports events involving inter-regional movement will be implemented after consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at Level 3.

'Continued cluster infections' at entertainment facilities will be banned from gathering at Level 4

Reflecting the recent risk situation, the list of multi-use facilities subject to gathering bans will be expanded. Some adjustments will be made to improve fairness and effectiveness among industries.

First, reflecting the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, gathering bans for karaoke bars, entertainment bars, colatechs (dance halls), hold'em pubs, and hold'em game rooms, which were not subject to gathering bans under Level 4 rules, will be made regular rules. Currently, these facilities have been subject to temporary gathering bans.

At Levels 3 and 4, outdoor sports facilities will also be prohibited from operating shower rooms. Unlike indoor sports facilities where shower room operation is banned, outdoor sports facilities had no such restrictions despite similar usage patterns, raising fairness issues. Additionally, hair salons, skin care shops, makeup shops, nail salons, and barbershops will no longer have operating hour restrictions. Although they were subject to a 10 p.m. closing time restriction at Level 4, this was reconsidered due to low effectiveness as most close before 10 p.m.

Furthermore, at Level 4, religious facilities will allow in-person religious activities for up to 10 people if the capacity is 100 or fewer, and up to 10% of capacity if over 101, but capped at a maximum of 99 people. Currently, based on an administrative court ruling, temporary measures allow up to 10% of capacity or a maximum of 19 people for in-person religious activities, but this adjustment considers fairness by differentiating according to facility size.

Lee Ki-il said, "We have received many opinions through the Living Quarantine Committee, including views that the current Level 4 system is considerably weaker than the previous 2.5-level system applied last December." He added, "We will proceed with the current system for the next two weeks and comprehensively review various aspects during the upcoming two weeks."