[Square] Conditions for Sustaining With-Corona

Strengthening Quarantine Measures and Encouraging Small Business Owners to Take the Lead in Enhancing Their Own Safety Protocols

Son Muho, Head of the Win-Win Cooperation Promotion Team at the Korea Foodservice Industry Association

The implementation of With-Corona has brought vitality to small business owners and the self-employed. According to data from Korea Credit Data, in the first week of November, the average sales of self-employed businesses nationwide increased by 2.6% compared to the last week of October. In particular, the recovery trend in the foodservice industry stands out, with sales in the first week of November rising by 7.8% compared to two weeks earlier. This is interpreted as a significant rebound due to the deep impact of business restrictions and economic contraction caused by COVID-19.

Until the implementation of With-Corona, South Korea had to pay a heavy price. Especially, small business owners and self-employed people, who faced unprecedented collective business bans and restrictions since the founding of the nation, were hit hard and many collapsed. For over a year and a half, strong social distancing measures ranging from levels 3 to 4 were enforced nationwide. In particular, the capital area, where half of the population resides, endured level 4 distancing for nearly three months, pushing small business owners to the point where they could not operate at all.

With de facto curfew measures in place, restaurants could not serve groups of three or more customers, and the 9 PM business hour restriction made it impossible to run evening operations properly. Despite being tied up by personnel and time restrictions, rent, labor costs, and taxes continued to come in regularly, leaving these expenses as debt. According to data from the Bank of Korea and others, loans to small business owners increased by over 131 trillion won during the one year of the COVID-19 crisis, and about 450,000 small business establishments closed down.

Small business owners could only express extreme pain, saying, "We will all die from business restrictions before dying from COVID-19." Small business organizations, including the Korea Foodservice Industry Association, stepped forward, and above all, the desperate cries of small business owners who voluntarily took to the streets continued. The anger and frustration of small business owners were conveyed to the political sphere, resulting in the precious outcome of With-Corona.

However, just weeks after the implementation of With-Corona, the surge in confirmed cases has poured cold water on the recovering small business economy. With holes in quarantine measures at high-risk group facilities and a shortage of hospital beds, the government’s responsibility for quarantine is being primarily questioned.

There is a growing call to actively recommend additional vaccinations, fully reopen schools, and reconsider large-scale events to strengthen quarantine management.

Nevertheless, it is impossible to reverse the recently implemented With-Corona policy. Small business owners, who were driven into an extreme abyss and experienced a hellish ordeal, cannot be pushed back into the abyss again. The government must promptly review quarantine policies and devise ways to fill the gaps in With-Corona, while the private sector must also take this opportunity to reinforce quarantine readiness.

In particular, small business owners, who have no way to retreat, must take the lead in strengthening quarantine. With the determination that "I will protect my own store," they must thoroughly register visitors through QR check-ins, voluntarily maintain social distancing inside stores, and devote all efforts to improving hygiene and quarantine levels through regular disinfection.

To further enhance the effectiveness of quarantine, government and local authorities’ support for disinfecting equipment and supplies, as well as contactless thermal imaging thermometers, is essential.

The Korea Foodservice Industry Association is conducting campaigns to strengthen quarantine readiness in each branch and chapter in response to the With-Corona era.

We sincerely hope that such voluntary movements will expand to all areas of small business, leading to a reduction in confirmed cases and revitalization of the small business economy during With-Corona, establishing a virtuous economic cycle as soon as possible.