Han River Park Restrictions Lifted Starting Today... Gatherings of Over 100 People Banned Throughout Seoul (Comprehensive)

Maintaining Some Level 2 Measures for Sustainable Prevention Despite Level 1 Distancing
Majority of High-Risk Facilities Shift to Gathering Restrictions... Public Facility Operations Resume
Indoor and Outdoor Mask Mandate Maintained... Fines Imposed Starting Next Month 13

On the 12th, as social distancing was lowered to level 1 and partial restrictions at Hangang Park were about to be lifted, park managers were dismantling access control structures at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] From the 12th, restrictions on Yeouido, Ttukseom, and Banpo Hangang Parks in Seoul will be lifted. The ban on gatherings of 10 or more people will also be relaxed to gatherings of 100 or more.

Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, held a briefing this morning and announced new quarantine guidelines for the Seoul area effective from midnight today. This is a follow-up measure after the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters eased the social distancing level from Level 2 to Level 1 starting today.

First, controls on crowded areas in Hangang Parks, where many citizens gathered, have been lifted. The Seoul city government requested, "Please be sure to wear masks inside the parks and refrain from drinking, eating, and delivery orders."

The ban on gatherings of 10 or more people across Seoul has ended, but the 'ban on gatherings of 10 or more' remains in effect in downtown Seoul as before. Separately, a ban on gatherings of 100 or more people will be enforced throughout Seoul. However, gatherings with fewer than 100 participants must comply with seven quarantine rules, including temperature checks, registration, mask-wearing, and maintaining a distance of at least 2 meters.

Earlier, after a rapid increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases following the Liberation Day downtown rallies, Seoul had completely banned gatherings of 10 or more people across the city from August 21 and maintained this restriction until midnight on the 11th, considering quarantine measures during the Chuseok holiday and Hangul Day long weekend.

Extension and Maintenance of Mandatory Mask-Wearing Administrative Order

Although social distancing has been lowered to Level 1, the mask mandate remains in effect. Seoul issued an administrative order on August 24 requiring mask-wearing indoors and outdoors.

From the 13th, a revised Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act will be enforced, allowing a fine of 100,000 KRW to be imposed for violating the mask-wearing administrative order. Seoul plans to impose fines starting from the 13th of next month after a grace period.

The city will especially focus on mask-wearing compliance checks at five types of facilities where group infections are a concern: ▲multi-use facilities with gathering restrictions ▲public transportation ▲assembly and protest sites ▲medical institutions ▲and nursing facilities.

Facilities violating quarantine rules will face closure orders, criminal charges, and fines. Facility operators may be fined up to 3 million KRW depending on the number of violations. From December 30, the city plans to issue facility operation suspension orders for up to three months for serious violations of quarantine rules.

On the 12th, when the government eased social distancing to Level 1, office workers and citizens were moving around the Gangnam Station area in Seoul during lunchtime. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

To Reduce Density... Rest Time System Introduced for Dancing Entertainment Venues

Seoul has also established its own core quarantine rules that are stricter than the government’s. Although the ban on gatherings at entertainment venues is lifted, considering the risk, dancing entertainment venues such as clubs, emotional pubs, and colatecs must operate a 'rest time system' of 10 minutes per hour or 30 minutes per 3 hours. Rest time is recommended for entertainment pubs, hunting pochas, and danran pubs.

Public facilities operated by Seoul will gradually reopen. However, quarantine measures such as limiting the number of users to half of the facility’s capacity will be applied.

Direct sales promotion centers such as door-to-door sales, which mainly serve the elderly vulnerable to COVID-19 and have a history of group infections, as well as elderly day and night care facilities, will maintain existing measures of gathering bans and closure recommendations. Childcare centers used by infants and toddlers are to consider reopening after the incubation period following the Chuseok holiday, from the 19th onward.

Social welfare facilities such as welfare centers, senior centers, and day care centers for the disabled may resume operations provided they thoroughly establish facility-specific quarantine plans. Also, all multi-use facilities including restaurants must mandate QR code or other visitor registration, and face-to-face worship services at churches will be allowed with seating limited to 30% capacity, while small group meetings, events, and meals remain prohibited.

Acting Mayor Seo said, "The incubation period after the Chuseok holiday has not fully passed yet, and we must closely monitor the infection impact during the three-day Hangul Day holiday. We ask citizens and business owners to actively participate and cooperate so that a sustainable quarantine system where the economy and daily life coexist can be established."

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