Seoul City Files Complaints Against 4 Entertainment Venues Violating Gathering Ban Orders (Update)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) originating from Itaewon clubs, a gathering ban order was issued for all entertainment establishments in Seoul, and businesses that secretly operated in violation of this order will be punished.

Na Baek-ju, Director of the Citizen Health Bureau and the quarantine control officer of the Seoul Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated on the 18th, "From the 16th to 17th, we conducted joint inspections with the National Police Agency on 1,650 entertainment establishments in the city, including clubs, colatecs, and room salons, and found 4 businesses operating," adding, "These will be subject to prosecution."

The gathering ban order prohibits mass gatherings and effectively suspends business operations. Violating this order can result in punishment under the 'Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.' As the scale of the cluster infection originating from Itaewon clubs expanded, Seoul issued the gathering ban order for all entertainment establishments in Seoul starting from the 9th of this month.

During the weekend, Seoul also completed issuing gathering restriction orders and quarantine guideline notifications to all 2,256 Danranjumeok (karaoke bars). Unlike the gathering ban order issued to entertainment establishments, the gathering restriction order is a stage to guide compliance with quarantine rules, and violations can lead to a gathering ban order.

Director Na also said, "We inspected some karaoke rooms and PC rooms over the weekend and found cases of quarantine rule violations," adding, "We informed that if violations are detected in the future, a gathering ban order will inevitably be imposed."

Meanwhile, the rate of uncontactable visitors related to Itaewon clubs has been estimated at about 20% so far.

Director Na explained, "There are about 12,000 people on the club visitor list, and about 80% have been contacted," adding, "Among those who cannot be reached, some phone numbers listed are difficult to recognize, so it is hard to confirm whether it is 'intentional avoidance' or not."

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