No Eating at Convenience Stores After 9 PM... Passenger List Required for Chartered Bus Riders (Comprehensive)

Seoul City Sends Official Letter to Convenience Store Franchises on Assembly Restriction Orders
When Filling Out Manual Registers, Must Verify Identity by Checking ID Cards

On the 1st, amid the implementation of social distancing level 2.5 due to the resurgence of COVID-19, a notice about the 'Restriction on Nighttime Tasting Area Operation' is posted at a convenience store in Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated in a regular COVID-19 briefing that "since most convenience stores fall under general restaurants and snack bars, eating inside the convenience store and at outdoor tables after 9 PM is prohibited." Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As small-scale group infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue in various places such as sports facilities, nursing homes, companies, and hospitals across Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to further strengthen its quarantine response in line with the government's 'Social Distancing' Level 2.5 measures.

On the 1st, Seoul announced that it sent an official letter to convenience store franchise headquarters, informing and requesting cooperation regarding the assembly restriction order, including a ban on nighttime eating. Previously, in the metropolitan area, from the 30th of last month, all general restaurants and rest food establishments, including convenience stores, are only allowed to provide food for takeout and delivery after 9 p.m.

Park Yu-mi, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizen Health Bureau (Quarantine Controller), stated, "Most convenience stores fall under general restaurants or rest food establishments, so eating inside convenience stores or at outdoor tables after 9 p.m. is prohibited," adding, "We have informed the convenience store industry of this fact and will conduct on-site inspections."

Additionally, starting from the 3rd, Seoul will issue an administrative order requiring transportation companies that rent charter buses to participants of assemblies to compulsorily prepare passenger lists. This measure follows the spread of COVID-19 at a large-scale downtown Seoul assembly last month where many charter buses were mobilized, but participant tracking investigations were not properly conducted.

Accordingly, all charter buses registered in Seoul or operating within the city that are used for assemblies or tourism must keep and manage passenger information through electronic entry logs (KI-PASS) or handwritten logs. In particular, when it is difficult to use electronic entry logs?such as for persons with disabilities, short-term foreign residents, or those refusing to use QR codes?handwritten logs must be prepared, and identity verification must be conducted by checking identification cards to confirm the person's identity.

A city official emphasized, "Violations of the administrative order will result in fines of up to 3 million KRW," and added, "Claims for compensation may also be made for all quarantine costs related to testing, investigation, and treatment arising from violations of compliance."

Seoul also plans to soon file a claim for damages against Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, where a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred. The city intends to calculate the costs incurred for patient treatment and quarantine and review whether other institutions such as the National Health Insurance Service will file claims before proceeding with a lawsuit.

As of now, there are 622 confirmed COVID-19 cases related to Sarang Jeil Church in the Seoul area and 1,083 nationwide. The National Health Insurance Service announced the previous day that it intends to recover or claim compensation for approximately 5.5 billion KRW in medical expenses it covered for these confirmed patients.

Director Park said, "We are reviewing the scope of responsibility and compensation amount related to Sarang Jeil Church's violation of quarantine rules and interference with epidemiological investigations under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act," and added, "We plan to file a lawsuit early this month."

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