Club and Coin Karaoke Rooms Successively Banned from Gathering... What About Bars and Restaurants?

Incheon City Orders Closure of Coin Karaoke Rooms
12 Cities Nationwide Enforce Ban on Gathering at Entertainment Venues
Criticism Calls It 'Closing the Barn After the Horse Is Lost'
Experts Say "Need to Define Scope of Regulations"

On the afternoon of the 12th, Songpa-gu Office officials in Songpa-gu, Seoul, are placing a quarantine certification sticker after completing disinfection at a karaoke room. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I'm scared to eat out now.", "These days, I often eat alone at home."

As the government issued a ban on gatherings at clubs and coin karaoke rooms to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), citizens' anxiety is growing even more as cases of group infections have emerged in regular restaurants as well.

Some citizens have argued that temporary closure of pubs should be considered until the COVID-19 situation calms down. Experts suggested that the government needs to define the scope of regulations to prevent further spread.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 21st, as of midnight, there were 206 confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs, with 51 infected through group facilities. Among them, 12 were infected at karaoke rooms, and 11 were confirmed cases related to pubs.

As a significant number of confirmed cases were infected in enclosed spaces such as karaoke rooms and pubs, Incheon City decided to issue a ban on gatherings at all coin karaoke rooms in the area for two weeks starting from the 21st. As a result, 108 coin karaoke rooms in Incheon have effectively suspended operations until the 3rd of next month.

Earlier, as the Itaewon club-related COVID-19 cluster infection spread, 12 cities and provinces nationwide, including Seoul, Daegu, and Incheon, issued bans on gatherings at entertainment establishments.

Citizens are passing by a pub in front of Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul, which is temporarily closed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19, on the afternoon of the 17th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, as group infection cases have recently appeared even in regular restaurants, concerns about the spread of COVID-19 are increasing.

On the 22nd, the Japanese-style pub 'Jakuwa' near Anyang Station in Anyang City, Gyeonggi Province, was visited four times recently?on the 3rd, 14th, 15th, and 17th?by confirmed case number 73 from Yongin (26-year-old male) and confirmed case number 33 from Gunpo (male in his 20s).

The problematic restaurant is a Japanese-style bar with indoor rooms, making the possibility of droplet transmission between visitors high.

At least seven confirmed cases, including confirmed case number 3 from Anseong (28-year-old male) and confirmed case number 55 from Suwon (male in his 20s), who drank with them at the time, have been linked to 'Jakuwa,' and more than 1,000 citizens have reported visiting or passing by the area recently.

Additionally, the six-story building housing 'Jakuwa' includes a convenience store, arcade, and goshiwon (small lodging), and there is a large floating population around the building, increasing the likelihood of more new confirmed cases.

As a result, voices are emerging that pub operations should be suspended temporarily until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes.

A 27-year-old office worker A, who works at a small business, said, "Recently, as COVID-19 started to stabilize, more people are making plans, and company dinners are slowly starting again," adding, "I feel sorry for small business owners, but I hope they don't operate for about a month."

He continued, "Even if the government recommends daily quarantine measures, there are limits. Closing pubs temporarily is one way."

An announcement regarding a temporary closure was posted on the afternoon of the 17th at a pub in front of Hongik University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, known to have been visited by a confirmed case of COVID-19.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

There are also reactions that the government's complacent response has spread COVID-19. University student B (25) said, "They only regulate clubs after infections occur there, and now they regulate coin karaoke rooms after infections happen there too," criticizing, "The risks of clubs and coin karaoke rooms have been talked about for a long time. They should have regulated them from the start, but they only regulate after incidents happen."

He added, "If strong regulations had been implemented from the beginning, there wouldn't have been confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs. It's like locking the barn after the horse is stolen."

Experts suggested that defining the scope of regulations is important. Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said, "You can't just impose restrictions on pubs or restaurants indiscriminately. From a quarantine policy perspective, closing them is right, but considering livelihoods, it's unavoidable."

He continued, "COVID-19 can be transmitted anywhere. There have been cases at gyms and even at first birthday parties," emphasizing, "There should have been detailed social consensus and policy decisions on how far regulations should go, but the situation was urgent, so there was no time for such discussions. We need to start making decisions from now on."

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