When Composed Only of 'Fully Vaccinated', Up to 70%
All Exemptions from Quarantine Pass Also Considered Unvaccinated
[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Additional quarantine reinforcement measures for religious facilities, which had sparked controversy after being excluded from the recently announced high-intensity social distancing measures by the government, have been announced.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 17th a plan to strengthen quarantine measures for religious facilities, allowing up to 30% (maximum 299 people) of the venue capacity when unvaccinated individuals participate in regular religious activities, and up to 70% attendance when operating under the quarantine pass system. The enforcement period for these strengthened measures is the same as the social distancing reinforcement measures announced the previous day, lasting 16 days from the 18th to the 2nd of next month.
Accordingly, from the 18th, regular religious activities such as Mass, Dharma meetings, worship services, and memorial services will only allow up to 30% (maximum 299 people) of the venue capacity if unvaccinated individuals and children or adolescents participate together. Even if composed solely of fully vaccinated individuals, attendance is limited to 70% of the venue capacity. This significantly reduces the number of participants compared to the current system, where 100% attendance is allowed under the vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system (quarantine pass), and 50% attendance is allowed regardless of vaccination status.
In particular, to meet the 70% attendance rate, participants must be composed exclusively of fully vaccinated individuals. Those currently exempt from the quarantine pass, such as PCR negative testers, children and adolescents under 18, COVID-19 recovered individuals, and those exempted from vaccination for medical reasons, are all prohibited from attending.
Currently, religious small gatherings with only fully vaccinated participants allow up to 6 people in the metropolitan area and 8 people in non-metropolitan areas, but from the 18th, this will be reduced to a maximum of 4 fully vaccinated people in accordance with the reduced private gathering size standards.
Religious events such as prayer meetings and retreats will also follow the general large-scale event standards. When unvaccinated individuals participate, gatherings are limited to 49 people, and when operating under the quarantine pass, up to 299 people may gather.
All other currently enforced quarantine rules remain the same. Masks must be worn at all times during religious activities. Choirs and praise teams must be composed solely of fully vaccinated members, and they must also wear masks while performing. Activities that involve removing masks, such as eating inside religious facilities, and actions that generate many droplets, such as loud prayers, continue to be prohibited.
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