[Report] "What Should We Do?" Unmanned Stores Troubled by Expansion of Quarantine Pass

Quarantine Pass to Be Expanded from the 13th after Guidance Period from the 6th to 12th
Fairness Controversy Compared to Restaurants and Cafes Allowing One Unvaccinated Person Exception
"Refund Inquiries Flooding," "More Preparation Time Needed," "Support Required for Quarantine Pass Operation"

On the 8th, a notice regarding the quarantine pass is posted at the entrance of a study cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by So-Young Kim sozero815@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] "Neither the members nor we have done anything wrong," "The government is irresponsible with no guidelines or support."

The aftermath of the government's announcement to expand the application of the quarantine pass continues. Especially, stores operated by unmanned systems or with very few staff are strongly opposing, saying additional measures such as securing manpower are inevitable.

On the 3rd, the government announced the 'Additional Follow-up Measures for Special COVID-19 Quarantine' focusing on adjusting the number of private gatherings and expanding the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation) application. According to the strengthened quarantine guidelines, the quarantine pass, which was limited to entertainment facilities, will be expanded to 16 industries including restaurants and cafes.

This comes about a month after the phased transition to daily recovery (With Corona). The government plans to conduct a quarantine verification guidance period for these industries from the 6th to the 12th, and then fully apply the measures starting on the 13th.

In this regard, unmanned store owners cannot hide their bewilderment. Due to the expansion of the quarantine pass, they have no choice but to be present at unmanned stores operating contactlessly to verify vaccinated customers. Additional costs such as labor expenses are inevitable.

On the 8th, self-employed operators of unmanned stores met on-site and unanimously raised their voices calling it "armchair theorizing." Yoo (59), who operates a study cafe in Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, sighed, saying, "I am completely stressed out right now." He said, "Our store is 100% unmanned. (If the quarantine pass is expanded) I have to stay on-site continuously or hire part-time workers," adding, "Since we operate 24 hours, I am worried about how to handle the nighttime."

He continued, "For now, this week is the guidance period, so we just posted a quarantine pass notice at the entrance," and explained, "We are changing the computer program so that the existing kiosk equipment can check the smartphone QR code and proceed to login."

He expressed difficulty, saying, "Even if we develop the system, it won't be perfect instantly, and people will have to check and turn away customers one by one, so this is more troublesome than the previous business hour restrictions."

Currently, many posts have been uploaded on self-employed online communities reporting refund inquiries following the announcement of the quarantine pass expansion. Yoo also said, "Refunds from unvaccinated people have already started, and sales are dropping. Members say, 'What did we do wrong?' so we are refunding without penalties. We haven't done anything wrong either."

He emphasized, "Study cafes are a representative industry operated unmanned, so I think there should definitely be support measures such as subsidies for hiring part-time workers who stay on-site or support for the decreased sales."

A kiosk for entry at an unmanned study cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 8th. A notice regarding government quarantine guidelines is posted. Photo by So-Young Kim sozero815@

Tae (54), who operates a nearby study cafe, said, "I think we have to follow the government policy for now," but added, "(The quarantine pass) is unreasonable. Since study cafes mostly operate unmanned and are not monitored daily, it seems difficult." When asked if there were any guidelines regarding government support, he drew a line, saying there was none at all.

A study cafe operator A, who requested anonymity, said, "We are still considering it, so it is difficult to share plans, but we plan to receive vaccination certificates for members stored in the kiosk and open limited usage tickets."

There is an opinion that the one-week guidance period is far too short to prepare for this. He said, "This is something we have to request from members, so the given one-week guidance period is difficult," and pointed out, "Local governments should provide some guidance on this, but there was none at all."

The situation in Noryangjin, where many academies and study cafes are located, is the same. Kim, who operates a study cafe in Noryangjin, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, said, "There are a lot of refund inquiries, and it's very difficult. If a person stays on-site continuously, it can be resolved, but the quarantine authorities do not provide support."

Kim said, "I inquired with the quarantine authorities, but they just apologized and said there is no special support. It can't be helped, but it's a bit irresponsible."

He added, "Unvaccinated people must receive the first and second doses and wait 14 days. That means they cannot study for almost a month," raising his voice, "Honestly, there have been no confirmed cases, and since it is quiet with no conversations, there is no chance of droplets spreading, so I cannot understand this."

On the other hand, fairness controversies have been raised regarding restaurants or cafes where one unvaccinated person is allowed entry. For restaurants and cafes, an exception is recognized for one person, considering their essential nature for meals. Yoo also pointed out, "Everyone wears masks at study cafes and never takes them off or talks. I really don't understand this."

On the 5th, students are self-studying at a study cafe in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, starting from the 6th, the quarantine pass, which was previously applied only to entertainment facilities, karaoke rooms, indoor sports facilities, bathhouses, horse racing, and casinos, has been expanded to apply when using indoor multi-use facilities such as restaurants, cafes, academies, cinemas, performance halls, reading rooms, study cafes, libraries, multi-rooms, and PC rooms. From February next year, the quarantine pass will also apply to adolescents aged 12 to 18.

If a violation of the quarantine pass is detected, facility users will be fined 100,000 KRW, and operators will be fined 1.5 million KRW (3 million KRW for the second violation).

The Korea Self-Employed Association criticized in a statement on the same day, "The health authorities are only expanding the quarantine pass to multi-use facilities where the infection rate is only about 10%, while not applying it to nursing hospitals, religious facilities, workplaces, etc., where the infection rate is over 80%."

The National Self-Employed Emergency Countermeasures Committee also raised their voices, saying, "We will unite with all groups harmed by the quarantine pass and fight using all means against the quarantine policy that has lost trust."