"Are 4 People Considered COVID-19 Victims?" Ban on Private Gatherings of 5 or More, Effectiveness in Question

Government Expands Nationwide Ban on Gatherings of 5 or More in Restaurants Starting 24th
Some Restaurants Split Tables for 3 or 2 People
Kim Woo-joo: "Ambiguous Standards Lack Effectiveness"

On the night of the 23rd, restaurant staff were having a meal at an indoor pojangmacha in front of Hongdae, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] As the government enforces a nationwide ban on gatherings of five or more people in restaurants starting from the 24th to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), many citizens are voicing doubts about the effectiveness of this measure.

While entry is restricted for groups of five or more when using restaurants, it has been found that some eateries do not comply with the quarantine guidelines, such as splitting tables even when groups of five or more visit. Some argue that "there is little difference whether four or five people gather."

Following the restriction on private gatherings of five or more in the metropolitan area on the 23rd, the government designated the period from the 24th to the 3rd of next month as a "special quarantine period" and expanded the ban on gatherings of five or more to restaurants nationwide.

Accordingly, restaurants nationwide cannot accept reservations for groups of five or more, and groups of five or more entering the restaurant together are prohibited. For example, eight people cannot be seated by splitting into two tables of four. Violations will result in fines of up to 3 million KRW for operators and up to 100,000 KRW for users. Gatherings of five or more outside restaurants are not banned but are subject to "cancellation recommendations," and violations do not incur penalties.

The government strongly recommends canceling private gatherings, company dinners, and parties of five or more. However, routine family life is excluded, such as gatherings of "direct family members" registered in the family relation registry or people living at the same address according to the resident registration.

On the 17th, citizens dressed in thick clothing hurried their steps to work at the Gwanghwamun intersection in Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Among citizens, doubts about the effectiveness of these quarantine measures are emerging. In principle, groups of five or more are restricted from visiting restaurants, but it has been confirmed that some restaurants accept customers by splitting tables.

Mr. Lee (50), who runs a restaurant in Incheon, said, "There are not many customers these days, so we cannot refuse groups of five or more, and the standards seem too vague. When groups of five or more come, we just guide them to sit separately with some space between seats."

Some citizens express dissatisfaction, saying, "Is there some law that says you won't catch COVID-19 if four people gather?"

Mr. Seo, a worker in his 20s, said, "Honestly, I don't understand why restaurant use is restricted based on five people. Even if four people enter, they sometimes sit close to the next table, so social distancing is not really maintained. It would be more effective to adjust the spacing between tables or limit the number of people according to the size of the restaurant."

Some citizens also expressed fatigue over the repeatedly changing quarantine measures. Ms. Choi (29), an office worker, said, "Yesterday, the ban on gatherings of five or more was only in the metropolitan area, and today they say it will be implemented nationwide. I understand the need to focus on quarantine, but it's confusing when the rules keep changing while schedules or plans are already set."

Experts pointed out that frequent changes in quarantine measures are increasing confusion among citizens.

Professor Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "If quarantine guidelines are changed abruptly like a surprise show within a day, citizens cannot help but be confused. To achieve effective results, enforcement is necessary, but that is not happening. The restriction of five people in restaurants is practically difficult to follow and hard to understand."

Professor Kim added, "If we consider quarantine seriously, the alert level should be raised to level 3. The government said it would observe until the 28th whether to maintain level 2.5 or raise it, but before that day, additional guidelines were implemented, changing the quarantine rules again. From the citizens' perspective, it is confusing what is correct. In this situation, it is difficult to expect positive effects in quarantine."

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