"Gatherings of 5 or More Prohibited, Workers Exempt"…Golf Courses Allow Caddies + 4 Players to Round

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government has confirmed that certain industry workers are not included in the 'ban on gatherings of five or more people in the metropolitan area' measure, which was implemented as part of strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures. This includes golf course assistants (caddies) and fishing boat captains, allowing operations with up to four people excluding these workers.

Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), said at a regular briefing on the morning of the 31st, "Currently, under the quarantine measures, when there are restrictions on the number of people, such as bans on gatherings of 50 or 100 people, workers in the relevant industries are not included in these counts. Therefore, the general principle is that workers in certain industries are not counted towards the five-person limit."

Previously, local governments in the metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, issued administrative orders banning private gatherings of five or more people. There was confusion over whether workers should be included in the count of five people. For example, in golf where four people form a group for a round, there was uncertainty about whether the caddie should be counted as part of the five.

Son explained, "The authority to interpret administrative orders lies with the issuing authorities, namely the cities of Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon," but added, "Since the regulations on the number of people vary by local government, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters provided overall guidance, establishing the general principle that workers in certain industries are not included in the count of five or more people."

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