[Q&A] Up to 42 People at Once in a 100-Pyeong Gym... Pastors Filming YouTube Must Also Wear Masks

Adjustment Plan for Social Distancing and Quarantine Rules Effective After the 18th
Gyms and Karaoke Rooms Must Notify Capacity Limits at Entrances
Boarding Academies Allowed with Preemptive Testing and No Outings
Religious Facilities Permitted In-Person Worship at 10-20% Capacity

Taeyoung Fitness in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, turned on the lights and opened its doors on the 4th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government has revised some of the social distancing quarantine rules that will take effect from the 18th. The gathering bans have been lifted mainly for business owners and facility managers who had been unable to operate, addressing fairness issues raised by them. Here is a summary of frequently asked questions by facility and situation.

Q. Can I now sit inside a cafe and drink coffee?

Currently, only takeout and delivery are allowed, but this will be permitted going forward. However, like restaurants, it is not allowed from 9 PM to 5 AM the next day. Masks must be worn when not eating, and measures such as leaving one table empty or installing partitions must be observed. Restaurants and cafes with a licensed or reported area exceeding 50㎡ can only use half of their seating capacity. This is a measure equivalent to the existing level 2 social distancing. If two or more people order coffee or desserts together, it is strongly recommended to stay in the store for no more than one hour. When eating inside, a visitor log must be kept.

Q. How is the rule of one person per 8㎡ in indoor sports facilities calculated?

For indoor sports facilities such as gyms, which have been lifted from the gathering ban this time, the number of people allowed at the same time is one person per 8㎡ based on the facility’s licensed area. This includes the entire facility area, including exercise spaces, showers, and changing rooms. For example, a 20-pyeong (66.1㎡) facility can accommodate 9 people, a 50-pyeong (165.3㎡) facility 21 people, and a 300-pyeong (991.7㎡) facility up to 124 people at once. When calculating the capacity, the number is rounded up to one decimal place.

On the 14th, in front of the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, representatives from gyms, Pilates studios, study cafes, screen golf, and coin karaoke announced the three major joint demands of self-employed business owners regarding the adjustment of restricted business sectors scheduled to be announced on the 16th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Q. Can five people go together to a billiard hall or screen golf course?

No. Even if they are from the same group, due to the ban on private gatherings of five or more people, only up to four people can enter together. For billiard halls, the capacity at the same time is one person per 8㎡, similar to other indoor sports facilities, and only up to four people per billiard table are allowed. The same applies to screen golf courses. The same rules apply to karaoke rooms in the metropolitan area, which have also been allowed to operate together this time.

Q. After a business meeting or conference, can five or more people eat or drink tea together?

No. Meetings or business meetings are not considered private gatherings, but meals afterward are considered private gatherings. The nationwide ban on private gatherings of five or more people currently in effect will remain for the next two weeks, until the end of this month.

On the afternoon of the 4th, children are receiving lessons at a Taekwondo academy in Seoul, where partial operations are allowed under the condition of following quarantine rules and limiting groups to nine people or fewer.

Q. Can four or more people gather in one classroom at an academy?

Yes. Academy classes are not considered private gatherings, so if one person per 8㎡ and 1-meter distancing are observed, four or more people can gather. However, for lessons with a high risk of droplet transmission such as singing or wind instrument lessons, only one-on-one instruction is allowed, and if partitions are installed, up to four people per classroom are permitted.

Q. Are dormitory academies still not allowed?

The ban on lodging facilities for academies remains in place. However, if strict quarantine measures such as preemptive diagnostic testing of residents, prohibition of residents’ outings, no visitor access, and separation of staff movement paths are observed, operation is possible. Dormitory academy residents must submit diagnostic test results (rapid antigen or PCR) taken within two days before admission and must stay in single rooms for one week after admission as part of the prevention management period. Staff members are also required to submit test results upon initial admission and every two weeks if they go outside.

On the morning of the 7th, worshippers at Segyero Church in Gangseo-gu, Busan, which faced controversy for forcibly holding in-person services, protested against the quarantine authorities' measure for 'non-face-to-face worship.'

Q. Why was 10-20% in-person worship allowed despite ongoing church cluster infections?

The government judged that it is not appropriate to uniformly suppress all religious activities because infections are spreading mainly in some religious groups such as the BTJ Yeolbang Center, and outbreaks occur in prayer houses and small churches that are difficult to manage. Bible study meetings, district worship, and meals, which are prone to spreading infections, are still prohibited. The recent cluster infections were limited to a few specific churches, and there have been almost no cluster infections in other religious communities such as Catholicism, Buddhism, and Cheondoism, which also influenced the decision. The allowed range for in-person worship is 10% in the metropolitan area and 20% in non-metropolitan areas; if the venue has fewer than 100 seats, up to 10 or 20 people respectively are allowed with 2-meter distancing.

Q. What types of religious activities are allowed in-person within the 10% capacity limit?

Regular activities organized by religious personnel or religious organizations at a set time and place are included. For worship, this includes Sunday worship, Wednesday worship, and dawn worship. It also includes Sunday Mass, dawn Mass, Buddhist ceremonies, Confucian rites, and memorial services. Like high-risk facilities, the number of people allowed at the same time must be posted at the entrance. In the metropolitan area where level 2.5 distancing is applied, loud prayers and choir activities are prohibited, and praise teams are allowed only to perform music without singing.

Q. Must pastors wear masks when delivering sermons?

Yes. For regular religious activities, all participants including the leader and preacher (instructor) must wear masks. However, content broadcast on terrestrial, cable, or IPTV is considered a broadcast and is exempt from mask-wearing. But videos produced by churches for their congregants on platforms like YouTube are not considered broadcasts, so masks must be worn. If filming alone without video streaming personnel, masks are not required.

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