Daejeon Implements Social Distancing Level 2... Operation Restrictions on General Businesses, Entertainment Venues, and Religious Facilities

On the 6th, Heo Tae-jung, Mayor of Daejeon, announced the elevation of social distancing to level 2 within the region. Photo by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Daejeon City is raising the social distancing level to Level 2 within the region. During the Level 2 period, the operation of general businesses such as cafes and restaurants, as well as entertainment facilities and religious facilities, will be restricted.

According to the city on the 7th, Level 2 social distancing will be applied in Daejeon for three weeks starting from the 8th. This measure comes in response to the worsening infectious disease spread, with about 40 confirmed cases per day recently occurring in the Chungcheong area, including Daejeon.

In Daejeon, sporadic cluster infections have recently occurred centered around specific locations such as a pub in Gwanpyeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, and the number of confirmed cases with unknown infection routes continues to increase.

Accordingly, the city plans to focus on preventing further spread of infectious diseases in the region through the Level 2 social distancing measures.

With the upgrade to Level 2, a ban on gatherings is issued for five types of entertainment facilities in the area, and door-to-door sales, singing practice rooms, indoor standing concert halls, and indoor sports facilities must cease operations after 10 p.m.

Cafe and restaurant operations will also be restricted. Cafes will, in principle, only be allowed takeout and delivery, while restaurants can operate normally until 10 p.m., after which only takeout and delivery will be permitted.

Additionally, wedding halls and funeral homes are limited to fewer than 100 people, national and public facilities are restricted to 30% of total capacity, and all gatherings and events with 100 or more participants are completely prohibited. Bathhouses, movie theaters, performance halls, PC rooms, and similar venues are prohibited from allowing food consumption inside the premises.

The city limits participation in religious activities such as regular worship services, masses, Buddhist ceremonies, and memorial services to within 20% of total seating capacity, and bans all other gatherings, meals, and overnight stays organized by religious groups.

To ensure effective implementation of Level 2 social distancing, the city plans to conduct inspections and crackdowns jointly with the five districts and the police.

Mayor Heo Tae-jeong of Daejeon said, “On the 6th, the heads of the five district offices and infectious disease experts held a situation assessment meeting and decided to raise the social distancing level to 2 in the region,” adding, “We understand that strengthening distancing will increase economic difficulties for small business owners, but the city judged that stabilizing the current situation early can prevent greater damage in the future.”

He continued, “We urge citizens to always wear masks wherever they go in daily life with the mindset that ‘the only way to protect myself and my family now is to strictly follow quarantine rules.’”

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