"Level 2 Restrictions During Chuseok... Indoor Gatherings Over 50 and Village Festivals Prohibited"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the core measures of Social Distancing Level 2 will be applied during the "Chuseok Special Quarantine Period" from the 28th of this month to the 11th of next month.

Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare, announced this at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day.

Indoor gatherings of more than 50 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited, and village festivals, local festivals, and traditional games must be conducted within the allowed number of participants. All sports events such as professional baseball, soccer, and Ssireum matches will continue to be held without spectators as before.

By region, in the metropolitan area, the operation ban on 11 types of high-risk facilities will be maintained for two weeks before and after the holiday. The targets are ▲clubs and room salons (entertainment bars) ▲colatec ▲danran bars ▲gamseong bars ▲hunting pocha ▲karaoke rooms ▲indoor standing concert halls ▲indoor group exercise (intense GX types) ▲buffets ▲direct sales promotion centers such as door-to-door sales ▲large academies (300 or more people), etc.

If high-risk facilities violate the assembly ban, which means suspension of business, they may be fined up to 3 million KRW under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, and if confirmed cases occur, claims for hospitalization, treatment, and quarantine costs will be made.

Small gatherings and meals at churches in the metropolitan area are also continuously prohibited, and worship services should, in principle, be conducted in a non-face-to-face manner.

In the metropolitan area, quarantine measures for restaurants and movie theaters will be strengthened. General restaurants, cafes, and bakeries must maintain a 1-meter distance between tables, and if this is difficult, they must comply with one of the following: "leaving one seat empty," "spacing tables apart," or "installing partitions or screens between tables."

Movie theaters and performance halls in the metropolitan area must also observe the one-seat spacing rule, and amusement parks and water parks must operate by reservation and limit the number of users to about half.

Visitors to movie theaters and amusement parks must wear masks at all times, and each facility must strictly comply with quarantine rules such as managing visitor logs and regular ventilation and disinfection.

In non-metropolitan areas, only five types of high-risk facilities?entertainment bars, colatec, danran bars, gamseong bars, and hunting pocha?will continue to be subject to operation suspension. From October 5 to 11, local governments may adjust measures according to regional situations.

However, direct sales promotion centers for door-to-door sales are subject to a two-week assembly ban from September 28 to October 11, and local governments cannot independently ease this restriction.

For six types of high-risk facilities?karaoke rooms, buffets, large academies (300 or more people), indoor standing concert halls, indoor group exercise (intense GX types), and direct sales promotion centers?core quarantine rules will be mandatory for each facility.

The government plans to decide on whether to adjust the social distancing level after the special quarantine period in the first week of October.

Minister Park said, "I apologize for asking you to refrain from meeting during the Chuseok holiday," and urged, "Please share your affection with your family and everyone through non-face-to-face methods such as video calls for the safety of our families and all this year."

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