Gwangju City Extends 'Level 2 Social Distancing' for 3 Weeks Until the 28th... Partial Relaxation of Facility Restrictions

On the 6th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, held an online briefing on COVID-19 at the city hall briefing room, announcing that the 'Level 2 social distancing' will be maintained for three weeks, but some facility-specific restrictions will be eased. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan City will extend the social distancing level 2, which ends on the 6th, for three weeks.

On the same day at 4:30 PM, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced through an online briefing regarding COVID-19 response that social distancing level 2 will be maintained for three weeks until the 28th, but some facility regulations will be eased.

Accordingly, all gatherings of 100 or more people in the Gwangju area are completely banned.

Five types of entertainment facilities (entertainment bars, colateks, karaoke bars, emotional pubs, hunting pubs), singing practice rooms, and indoor standing concert halls will be closed from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM, and direct sales promotion centers (such as door-to-door sales) will be closed after 9:00 PM as currently enforced.

Restaurants and cafes are only allowed takeout and delivery from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM. Also, to prevent a balloon effect, all convenience stores in Gwangju city are prohibited from indoor and outdoor eating and drinking from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM.

Bathhouses, arcades, and multi-rooms are limited to one person per 4㎡ of facility area, and academies (including private tutoring centers) and vocational training institutions must limit the number of people to one per 4㎡ or have seats spaced one seat apart.

For indoor sports facilities, intense group exercises (GX types) such as aerobics, spinning, and Zumba dance, as well as gyms inside apartment complexes, are completely banned from operation.

Community sports club activities related to recreational sports such as table tennis, badminton, soccer, baseball, and screen golf, as well as friendly matches and league games, are also continuously prohibited. Amusement parks are limited to half of their capacity.

Wedding halls and funeral halls are limited to one person per 4㎡ of facility area.

Religious facilities can admit up to 50% of the seats for regular worship services, but meals and gatherings are completely banned.

Social welfare facilities allow visits to residents only through non-contact methods, and workers are advised to refrain from visiting other facilities except for commuting.

The scope of mask fine enforcement applies not only outdoors but also throughout indoor areas, as currently enforced.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “Since the upgrade to social distancing level 2 and the announcement of the ‘Gwangju 100-hour pause’ on the 3rd, confirmed cases have noticeably decreased,” and “I thank the citizens who actively participated in the ‘Gwangju 100-hour pause’ ending on the 6th.”

He added, “This year-end and New Year holiday, let’s create a ‘3-No Gwangju’ with no gatherings, no outings, and no violations of quarantine rules, thus no confirmed cases,” and “Please strictly follow the quarantine rules such as wearing masks and refraining from outings and gatherings so that self-employed business owners and small merchants do not have to close their doors, and our parents and children do not suffer.”

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