Company Meetings Online, Zigzag Seating in Restaurants... Draft of Daily Quarantine Guidelines Released

Government Releases Draft Detailed Guidelines for 'Distancing in Daily Life'
"To be supplemented and revised after collecting public opinions"... Preparing for Transition to Living Quarantine

On the 24th, students at Yeouido High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, are receiving the nationwide joint academic achievement test papers through a walk-through method to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] "If you are sick, stay home" "Improve work environment to enable video and phone meetings" "At restaurants and cafes, sit in a single row or zigzag without facing each other" "When booking train or express bus tickets, leave one seat empty between bookings"

The government released a draft of detailed guidelines for distancing in daily life (living quarantine) on the 24th. The guidelines, under the banner of 'harmonizing daily life and quarantine,' contain measures to prevent the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in everyday life. The draft guidelines are broadly divided into three categories: work, daily life, and leisure, and further detailed into 31 specific fields. The government plans to collect public opinions to revise or supplement the guidelines and add additional measures for fields, facilities, or places not covered by the guidelines if necessary.

In the work sector, basic guidelines for workplaces are provided along with specific instructions for meetings, civil service counters, and post offices. First, employees with a fever of 37.5℃ or higher, respiratory symptoms such as cough or sore throat, or those who have traveled abroad within the last 14 days should work from home and refrain from coming to the office.

After arriving at work, maintain sufficient distance from colleagues in the office. Meetings, workshops, and training sessions involving many participants should preferably be conducted 'non-face-to-face.' If in-person meetings are necessary, maintain a distance of 1 to 2 meters and ventilate the room every hour. It is recommended to rest at home rather than forcing attendance when sick, and to foster a culture that freely utilizes flexible working hours and leave.

On the 23rd, the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul resumed Mass, which had been suspended for over two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mass was held at Yeouido Cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul on this day. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The daily life sector is divided into 10 detailed fields including movement, meals, study, shopping, special occasions, and religion. The basic recommendation is to maintain a distance of 2 meters (at least 1 meter) from others and minimize face-to-face contact. Similar common guidelines include cooperating with quarantine measures by facility workers, thoroughly managing hygiene such as washing hands and using hand sanitizers before and after use. Managers and workers must designate quarantine managers and establish a cooperative quarantine system by securing contact networks with local health center officials.

Additionally, when booking train or express bus tickets, leave one seat empty between bookings, and avoid staying long in one place while shopping. For weddings and funerals, specific behavioral guidelines are provided, such as greeting with a nod instead of handshakes.

The leisure sector includes guidelines for major facilities such as hotels and amusement parks, as well as performance halls, baseball stadiums, PC rooms, and entertainment venues. Basic measures include maintaining distance while queuing and wearing masks if distancing is difficult. Visitors should cooperate with quarantine measures such as temperature checks conducted by the facility upon entry, and refrain from activities that may spread droplets such as singing or shouting, as well as physical contact like handshakes and hugs.

Facility managers must ensure that employees with fever, respiratory symptoms, or those who have traveled abroad within the last 14 days do not come to work, and immediately send symptomatic employees home. If five or more symptomatic users or workers appear within 4 to 5 days, they should be guided to undergo COVID-19 testing, and if additional symptomatic cases occur, the possibility of a cluster infection must be reported to the health center.

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