From the 13th, a 100,000 KRW fine for not wearing masks at gatherings, protests, beauty salons, marts, and department stores

The mask-wearing mandate will be enforced starting from the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] On the 7th, with the implementation of the new social distancing measures, key quarantine rules such as mandatory mask-wearing will be enforced. The mask mandate will take effect from the 13th.

With the new social distancing measures in place, quarantine rules that previously applied only to 12 types of high-risk facilities will now also be mandatory for beauty salons and barbershops, and stores, marts, and department stores (general retail businesses over 300㎡) in the metropolitan area. Similarly, 13 types of facilities in non-metropolitan areas, including restaurants and cafes (over 150㎡), performance venues, and movie theaters, will also be subject to these key quarantine rules.

According to the new social distancing standards released by health authorities, from the 7th, 23 types of facilities?including 9 types of intensive management facilities and 14 types of general management facilities?will be commonly required to follow rules such as wearing masks, maintaining visitor logs, and regular disinfection and ventilation. Additional rules may be mandated depending on the characteristics of each facility if necessary.

Intensive management facilities include clubs and other entertainment pubs, danran pubs, emotional pubs, hunting pochas, colatecs, karaoke rooms, direct sales promotion centers such as door-to-door sales, indoor standing concert halls, and restaurants and cafes. General management facilities include performance venues, movie theaters, indoor sports facilities, academies, vocational training institutions, PC rooms, game arcades (multi-rooms), bathhouses, wedding halls, funeral halls, beauty salons and barbershops, water parks and amusement parks, reading rooms and study cafes, and stores, marts, and department stores.

Currently, in the metropolitan area, additional quarantine rules will be mandatory for beauty salons and barbershops, and stores, marts, and department stores (general retail businesses over 300㎡). Violations of mandatory quarantine rules will result in fines of up to 3 million KRW for operators and managers, and up to 100,000 KRW for users.

In non-metropolitan areas, where the current living quarantine system is applied, additional quarantine rules will be mandatory for 13 types of facilities including restaurants and cafes (over 150㎡), performance venues, movie theaters, small and medium-sized academies (including private tutoring centers), vocational training institutions, PC rooms, game arcades and multi-rooms, bathhouses, wedding halls, funeral halls, beauty salons and barbershops, water parks and amusement parks, and stores, marts, and department stores (general retail businesses over 300㎡).

Beyond these multi-use facilities, mask-wearing will also be mandatory for activities involving dense and close contact or long periods of conversation and dining with many people. Along with intensive and general management facilities, this includes gatherings and protests, indoor sports stadiums, public transportation, medical institutions and pharmacies, care facilities (staff), day and night care facilities (staff), high-risk workplaces (call centers and distribution logistics centers), and gatherings or events of 500 or more people reported to and coordinated with local governments.

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