Restaurants Cannot Operate In-Store from Night to Early Morning... Franchise Coffee Shops Prohibited All Day (Comprehensive)

Enhanced Quarantine Measures Applied in the Capital Area Until the 6th of Next Month
Restaurants: Takeout and Delivery Only from 9 PM to 5 AM
Franchise Coffee Shops Prohibited from Using Stores All Day
Indoor Sports Facilities and Academies Closed... Nursing Home Visits Prohibited

On the 26th, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, tables and chairs are stacked in a corner at a Starbucks store in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonoam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Until the 6th of next month, restaurants in the Seoul metropolitan area will not be allowed to serve customers inside from 9 PM to 5 AM the following day, permitting only takeout and delivery. Among cafes, franchise coffee shops will be prohibited from consuming food and beverages inside the store at all times, allowing only takeout and delivery.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed these strengthened quarantine measures for the metropolitan area at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held on the 28th. This measure comes in response to the recent spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) centered in the metropolitan area. The current Level 2 social distancing will be maintained, but additional strengthened measures will be applied to some vulnerable sectors.

Restaurants include general restaurants, snack bars, and bakeries. The restriction on gatherings prohibits the use of the premises during specified hours, while existing core quarantine rules such as mask-wearing, visitor log management, and maintaining 2 meters between tables inside the facility will be maintained. These measures will be applied for eight days from midnight on the 30th until midnight on the 6th of next month.

On the afternoon of the 16th, a notice announcing the closure was posted at the Starbucks Yadang Station branch in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

380,000 Restaurants and Over 60,000 Academies in the Metropolitan Area Affected
"Local Governments to Strengthen Inspections... Operation Suspension and Fines for Violations"

Regarding cafes, since their types vary widely, a blanket restriction or ban on gatherings was not imposed; instead, quarantine measures were strengthened with gathering restrictions. Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "It is difficult to classify cafes under a single business category, so issuing a broad administrative order could cause excessive damage to many businesses," adding, "These are places where many people gather and stay for extended periods, increasing the possibility of droplet transmission."

According to the government, about 380,000 restaurants and bakeries and approximately 63,000 academies in the metropolitan area will be affected by this measure. Indoor sports facilities number about 28,000. Local governments will issue administrative orders and impose operation suspensions or fines up to 3 million KRW for violations.

Park Neung-hoo, first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "If we fail to curb the current spread, we will face an unimaginable reality," and added, "We will work with local governments to inspect and manage to ensure that the strengthened quarantine measures are properly implemented on the ground and achieve definite results."

On the 25th, 100 days before the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, an instructor is conducting an interactive real-time remote class for enrolled students at Jongno Academy Gangnam Main Branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Gathering Ban Also Imposed on Academies and Indoor Sports Facilities
Minimizing External Contact for the Elderly Urged

A gathering ban has also been imposed on indoor sports facilities such as gyms, billiard halls, and golf practice ranges. This follows recent cluster outbreaks linked to indoor sports facilities like the Wonju gymnastics class and Gwangju table tennis club. Additionally, all academies in the metropolitan area will be allowed to conduct only non-face-to-face classes. Reading rooms and study cafes are also subject to the gathering ban. Private tutoring centers may operate under gathering restrictions if they comply with quarantine rules such as visitor log management and mask-wearing. Measures for reading rooms, study cafes, and academies will be applied for one week from the 31st until the 6th of next month.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stated, "To minimize care gaps caused by these measures, the government and public institutions will activate telecommuting, and private companies are recommended to improve their working methods to a similar level."

To reduce the number of elderly patients at high risk of fatality, visits to nursing hospitals and nursing facilities in the metropolitan area are prohibited. Day and night care centers and cooling shelters are recommended to close, and activities that generate many droplets, such as singing, are prohibited during operation. Regarding door-to-door sales, which have caused multiple cluster infections, related ministries will inspect illegal sales activities and increase the reward for reporting illegal multi-level marketing from the current level of 2 million KRW to 5 million KRW to encourage reporting.

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