Playing with 5 people including caddies is not allowed at Jeju golf courses

Jeju Jungmun Golf Course. (Photo by Park Chang-won)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] The Jeju-style social distancing level 2 plus alpha (＋α) measure, which prohibits 5-player games including golf course assistants (caddies), will be extended for two weeks.

Jeju Province announced on the 2nd that the current measures, implemented since the 18th of last month, will be maintained until the 17th.

This decision was made considering concerns that the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the province has been surging since last month, and if this spread continues this month, the capacity for medical and epidemiological investigations may reach its limit.

The core of the current measures includes ▲ prohibition of private gatherings of five or more ▲ extension of existing special quarantine measures ▲ active identification of blind spots in quarantine.

Accordingly, 5-player games including caddies will continue to be prohibited at golf courses in the Jeju area. In other words, only 4-player games without caddies or 4-player games including caddies are allowed. This decision contradicts the central accident response headquarters' authoritative interpretation that golf course caddies are not subject to the gathering ban for groups of five or more.

Since two golf course caddies in Jeju Province tested positive in August and December last year, infections in the related industry have begun to appear, and considering that golf tourists frequently visit golf courses in the province, exposing the local community to infection risks easily, this measure is interpreted as a precaution.

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province, stated, “Even if an authoritative interpretation is issued regarding the allowance of 4-player games including caddies, Jeju will continue to maintain the existing measures in order to prepare in advance for the balloon effect of golf travel coming from other regions, the close group activities throughout the golf game, and recent infection cases among related workers.”

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