Seoul City to Conduct Intensive Inspection of Quarantine Rules in Entertainment Districts on October 31 for 'Halloween Day'

Immediate Administrative Action Upon Violation with 'One-Strike Out Rule' Enforcement

On May 10, when Seoul City issued a 'gathering ban order' for all entertainment facilities in Seoul following the Itaewon club COVID-19 cluster infection incident, the Itaewon area in Seoul showed a quiet scene. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 26th that it will conduct intensive inspections on compliance with core quarantine rules at entertainment facilities in Itaewon, Hongdae, and Gangnam ahead of Halloween on the 31st.

During this inspection, the "One Strike Out" policy will be applied, meaning that if quarantine guidelines are violated even once, immediate closure or legal action will be taken to prevent a recurrence of large-scale group infections like the Itaewon club incident in May.

A Seoul city official urged, "With the enforcement of mandatory mask-wearing, citizens must wear masks both indoors and outdoors, and must strictly comply with mask-wearing in multi-use facilities, public transportation where many unspecified people gather and infection spread is a concern, rallies, protest sites, as well as medical institutions, nursing facilities, and day and night care centers where vulnerable groups are concentrated."

The official also emphasized, "People should refrain from visiting clubs and events where many gather, minimize the time spent indoors during various gatherings, and comply with quarantine rules such as wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining social distancing."

Meanwhile, from the 12th to the 24th of this month, the city inspected 2,698 high-risk facilities including clubs, emotional pubs, karaoke bars, and entertainment bars, and imposed closure orders on 20 violating establishments.

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