Jungnang-gu Actively Implements Social Distancing for Two Weeks

Focus on Social Distancing for Two Weeks Until April 5... Recommendations to Suspend Operations at Karaoke Rooms, PC Rooms, Sports Facilities, and Religious Institutions

The joint inspection team of Jungnang District Office, Seoul City, and the District Sports Council is inspecting private sports facilities in the area on the 23rd.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] As the weather warms up, the tension over COVID-19 is easing.

However, it is still too early to feel safe in order to prevent community spread. To end the current inconvenience as soon as possible, everyone must voluntarily participate in 'social distancing.'

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) has decided to focus more on 'social distancing' for two weeks from March 22 to April 5.

'Social distancing' means ▲minimizing outings to reduce unnecessary contact ▲communicating via phone and internet ▲postponing religious activities, meetings, and events.

Accordingly, the district has taken steps to manage multi-use facilities. They visited 482 karaoke rooms, PC rooms, and entertainment bars, as well as 168 private sports facilities such as fitness centers, sports dojos, and dance studios, delivering recommendations to suspend operations for two weeks and checking compliance with facility-specific quarantine guidelines.

Inspection results showed that 340 karaoke rooms, PC rooms, and entertainment bars were closed, and 108 private sports facilities were temporarily or permanently closed. For businesses continuing operations despite recommendations, quarantine guidelines were communicated, and continuous inspections are planned.

Additionally, among a total of 244 religious facilities, 160 temporarily suspended operations and 47 shortened their hours following recommendations to refrain from gatherings. For the 7 Shincheonji churches, daily on-site inspections were conducted to confirm closures. Living facilities such as elderly nursing group homes and homeless rehabilitation centers totaling 54 locations have restricted external visitors and banned visits since February 21, conducting temperature checks twice daily.

Along with this, the district is implementing the 'Special Service Guidelines for Local Government Officials to Strengthen Social Distancing.' Departments are divided evenly by time for staggered meals, and face-to-face meetings, reports, and business trips are prohibited in principle.

Officials are also instructed to return home immediately after work and refrain from using multi-use facilities.

Furthermore, the layout of the district office cafeteria, which previously had face-to-face seating, was changed to one-directional seating, and the use of 10 weekend resorts used by employees for leisure was postponed from April to May. A flexible working hours system has been implemented, with some Jungnang-gu employees starting work at 10 a.m. and finishing at 7 p.m.

Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi of Jungnang-gu said, “We must endure small inconveniences now to regain our precious daily lives in the future. Please think of it not as not meeting people but as choosing not to meet, and use this time of pause to reflect on yourself.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.