"Is It Not Allowed to Eat Homemade Dinner with Parents in the Evening?"... Controversy Over Fairness of Quarantine Rules

Allow gatherings of up to 4 people at restaurants and cafes after 6 PM including fully vaccinated individuals
Home gatherings of 4 people still prohibited

A staff member is posting a 'Vaccine Incentive' notice at a Chinese restaurant in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Is it not allowed to have dinner at home with my parents?"

As the government decided to apply 'vaccine incentive' starting from the 23rd, controversy over fairness has erupted. In restaurants and cafes, up to four people can gather in the evening if vaccinated individuals are included, but at home, such vaccine incentives do not apply, so gatherings are not allowed.

Citizens are raising critical voices, calling it "principle-less, desk-based administrative quarantine." They point out that it is inappropriate to ease restrictions for cafes and restaurants where many people gather but not allow it for homes. As the controversy grew, the government expressed concerns that expanding vaccine incentives to private home gatherings could activate private meetings and said it is not yet a situation to allow this at home.

On this day, restaurants and cafes in areas under social distancing level 4 will apply the 'vaccine incentive' from 6 p.m. Previously, in level 4 areas, up to 4 people could gather before 6 p.m., and up to 2 people after 6 p.m. However, with the introduction of the incentive system, only in restaurants and cafes, gatherings of up to 4 people including 2 fully vaccinated individuals are allowed.

However, the operating hours of restaurants and cafes have been shortened by one hour, from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. Also, gatherings of 3 or more people are still prohibited at home. In other words, office workers living separately from their parents who are fully vaccinated can meet their parents at a restaurant after 6 p.m., but cannot meet at home.

A citizen is receiving a vaccine. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Citizens respond to these quarantine measures with "I don't understand." Especially among children living far from their parents, complaints are emerging.

Jung Mo (26), an office worker living alone in Seoul, said, "Is it okay to take off masks and eat with dozens of strangers in a closed restaurant, but not okay to visit my parents' home in my hometown?" He added, "I don't understand why eating out is allowed but home-cooked meals are not."

He continued, "Chuseok is just next month, what if these measures continue until then?" and "I feel pressured and might not even be able to go home."

Baek Kyung-ran, Chairperson of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases (Professor of Infectious Diseases at Samsung Seoul Hospital), also criticized on her Facebook, "No matter how much this is a measure to ease the difficulties of self-employed people, do they think a family gathering of four at home is more dangerous than restaurants and cafes where many people gather?"

Self-employed business owners are outraged over the reduced operating hours of restaurants and cafes. Photo by Self-employed Community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' screen capture.

Meanwhile, among self-employed people, voices of dissatisfaction over shortened business hours are emerging. They argue that forcibly shortening operating hours amid decreased sales due to COVID-19 is inappropriate.

A netizen who identified as self-employed expressed through the self-employed community 'Because It's Hard, I'm the Boss' saying, "Isn't shortening business hours too much? We've endured so far, but this is really too much," and "What difference does 10 p.m. or 9 p.m. make? In fact, dining in is basically over."

Another self-employed person said, "COVID-19 doesn't only spread in the evening, so it would be good to ease time restrictions," and "Even within the same restaurant, places like barbecue, sashimi, chicken pubs are basically told not to operate. With a 9 p.m. curfew, they can't even take customers from 8 p.m.."

As the controversy grew, the government moved to manage the situation. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained at a regular briefing the day before, "Considering the current patient occurrence and vaccination progress, we judged that it is not yet appropriate to activate visits to parents living far away."

He added, "If the part allowing two additional vaccinated people in restaurants and cafes is also permitted at home, visits to elderly parents at home would increase," and "In fact, people don't just eat and leave; they tend to stay in the same space for a long time."

Regarding easing private gatherings only in restaurants and cafes, he emphasized, "This was opened considering situations like having dinner at work before leaving," and "It was judged difficult to open the flow of visiting parents, so this decision was made."