"Restaurants Also Considering Eating Ban" Government Preparing Detailed Guidelines for Level 3 (Update)

On the 16th, citizens are getting tested at the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of midnight, there were 1,078 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total to 45,442. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases met the criteria for 'Social Distancing' Level 3 on the 16th, the government announced that it is "deeply reviewing the possibility of raising the level internally." The government is also revising detailed measures, including a complete ban on dining inside restaurants if the level is raised to Level 3.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, said at a regular briefing that day, "The nationwide daily average number of patients has entered the range of 800 to 1,000, which is the criterion for considering Level 3 social distancing." According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the average daily number of locally transmitted cases excluding imported cases from overseas between the 8th and 15th was 832.9.

The government is currently gathering opinions from local governments, the Living Quarantine Committee, and experts while reviewing the possibility of raising the level. Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "We are internally reviewing the possibility of raising to Level 3 while monitoring the situation," adding, "Since this is a huge social change, we are preparing step by step."

Despite meeting the criteria for raising the level, the government repeatedly emphasized that various factors must be considered. Yoon said, "Level 3 is the last strong measure and causes widespread damage to self-employed businesses," adding, "We will comprehensively consider not only the number of patients but also the capacity for quarantine and medical response, future epidemic forecasts based on the infection reproduction number, the proportion of severe and elderly patients aged 60 and above, and social conditions and consensus that allow social distancing measures to be effectively implemented."

On the 16th, citizens are getting tested at the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the same day, there were 1,078 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total to 45,442. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Government "Preparing Detailed Guidelines for Level 3"
Considering Takeout Only for Restaurants
Ban on Gatherings of 5 or More Instead of 10 or More, etc.

The government is currently preparing specific manuals such as work-from-home policies and operation plans for large marts and department stores in case of raising to Level 3. Relevant ministries, local governments, and experts are refining the details. Son said, "At Level 3, the basic principle is for as many personnel as possible to work from home except for essential workers," adding, "We plan to request cooperation from business organizations and individual companies when the level is raised."

According to the government's social distancing step-by-step implementation plan, at Level 3, large retail facilities such as department stores, large marts, complex shopping malls, corporate supermarkets, and outlets (general retail stores over 300㎡) are subject to a gathering ban. Son said, "Experts recommend suspending operations of most stores except essential facilities such as grocery stores, opticians, and pharmacies when raising to Level 3."

As many infection cases have also occurred through family and relatives' gatherings, quarantine guidelines for restaurants and ski resorts may be further strengthened. Son said, "Considering the characteristics of this outbreak, there are opinions that dining or eating inside restaurants and cafes should be completely banned, and ski resorts or sledding areas should be subject to gathering bans," adding, "There are also opinions that the standard for small gatherings should be strengthened from banning 10 or more people to banning 5 or more."

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