"Just Party in the Party Room" 20s and 30s' Serious 'Corona Insensitivity'... Citizens' Frustration

Over 1,000 New Domestic COVID-19 Cases on the 13th
Despite Urgency, Some 20-30s Gather in 'Party Rooms'
Concerns Over COVID-19 Spread in '3M' Environments: Enclosed, Close Contact, Crowded

Recently, some young people in their 20s and 30s have been renting party rooms for year-end gatherings. These spaces are considered '3M environments'?enclosed, close-contact, and crowded?where there is a risk of contracting COVID-19.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] # Kim, a man in his 30s, recently had a drinking party at a party room with people he met online. Kim said, "If we follow the quarantine rules well when gathering in a party room, there should be no problem," adding, "There is no year-end atmosphere due to COVID-19, and some colleagues are working from home, so we held a meeting online." He also added, "So far, no one in our group has tested positive for COVID-19."

Although the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Korea exceeded 1,000 on the 13th, some people are still holding various offline gatherings through online platforms, raising concerns that 'COVID-19 complacency' may be at a serious level. These groups have been found to reserve party rooms for drinking gatherings through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

A party room refers to a space equipped with various facilities and interior designs to host parties. By searching for keywords related to these gatherings in KakaoTalk open chat rooms, one can easily find chat rooms titled recruiting members for party rooms. After specifying the number of participants, age, and location, they set a date and meet.

The problem is that these party rooms are '3C environments'?closed spaces, close contact, and crowded places. Also, since people mingle with strangers, there is no proper way to verify if any attendees are at risk of COVID-19 infection or have tested positive but still attend the gathering.

Moreover, there is concern that attending a party room gathering while infected could lead to a cluster infection. Recently, COVID-19 has been spreading mainly among people in their 20s and 30s. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the proportion of confirmed cases in their 20s and 30s in November was 31.4%, higher than 22% in September.

For this reason, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters strengthened quarantine measures targeting facilities with a high risk of COVID-19 infection starting from midnight on the 1st. However, it is practically difficult to monitor all individual party rooms or hotel rooms where small groups gather. This is why anxiety is growing that COVID-19 might spread further through party room gatherings.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Citizens urged restraint from such gatherings amid the COVID-19 spread. Lee, a college student in her 20s, said, "I also want to have fun, but my friends and I are all holding back," pointing out, "There is no guarantee that young people won't get COVID-19." She added, "Having gatherings like this during a time of COVID-19 spread can harm others."

Park, a company employee in his 30s, said, "Simply put, it's like risking your life to have fun," emphasizing, "I heard that even if you recover from COVID-19, the aftereffects can be severe." He added, "I understand that people in their 20s and 30s want to have fun, but I hope they exercise restraint."

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Central Disease Control Headquarters urged the cancellation of various year-end gatherings. In a briefing on the 28th of last month regarding COVID-19, the headquarters emphasized, "Cancel all meetings and appointments as much as possible until the end of the year, and avoid using enclosed multi-use facilities." They also urged, "If you have respiratory symptoms such as fever or cough, do not go to work or school and get tested promptly."

The quarantine authorities expect a significant spread of COVID-19 to continue for the time being. At a briefing on the 12th, Lim Sook-young, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters’ situation management team, responded to a question about whether the number of new confirmed cases in the 900s was a temporary phenomenon by explaining, "The effect of social distancing level 2.5 usually appears after about a week, so we cautiously predict that this level of numbers will continue for the time being."

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