Frustrated by 'Daegu-style Social Distancing'... Mayor Kwon Young-jin Says "Followed Government Guidelines and Consulted with Gyeongbuk Province"

Daegu City Announces 'Cafe and Restaurant Allowed Until 11 PM' on 16th → Gyeongju City to Announce 'Daegu Measures' at 3:30 PM on 17th
→ Government to Notify 'Additional Guidelines' at 6 PM on 17th → Daegu and Gyeongju Cities Finalize Withdrawal of Ex

The photo shows Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu, delivering a greeting at the People Power Party and Daegu City Budget Policy Council held at City Hall on November 2 last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 17th, the day after announcing the extension of operating hours for multi-use facilities such as cafes and restaurants until 11 p.m., Daegu City, which was sanctioned by the government and abruptly withdrew the decision, found itself in a predicament.

In particular, regarding Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin’s explanation of the unavoidable withdrawal of the policy due to the 'government’s additional guidelines' shared on his SNS that night, online criticism from local residents toward the government for not recognizing the authority of local governments is intensifying.

On the 16th, when Daegu City announced allowing operating hours until 11 p.m., going far beyond the government’s standard policy of 'reopening cafes, gyms, and karaoke rooms,' the local community welcomed it as a gift of 'D-Quarantine.'

Daegu, which was the first nationwide to mandate mask-wearing on public transportation and in public facilities in May last year, had been conducting a large-scale 'Mask Wear GO' campaign to manage the trend of confirmed cases during the 2nd and 3rd waves of COVID-19, learning from the initial chaos experienced during the early stages of the pandemic.

However, as the issue of regional equity gradually emerged and even Gyeongju City announced a policy to extend operating hours, signaling that the Daegu-style social distancing decision might spread to other cities and provinces, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters moved swiftly.

It was confirmed that around 6 p.m. that day, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters sent additional social distancing guidelines for two weeks from the 18th to the 31st to each local government.

Earlier that day, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, said at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, which started at 4 p.m., "Because Daegu City announced (extending cafe and restaurant operating hours until 11 p.m.) first without prior consultation, many local governments raised issues about this."

He added, "Since both the central government and local governments have the same authority regarding social distancing stages, local governments also have the authority to adjust the detailed contents of the stages," and "Daegu City’s measures cannot be seen as exceeding the authority under the current Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act."

According to Son’s explanation, the 'government’s additional guidelines' had not yet been finalized at that time, but the government apparently judged that it could no longer tolerate the 'domino effect' after Gyeongju City effectively opposed the government’s plan that afternoon.

Considering the public unrest caused by this withdrawal, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin expressed strong regret toward the government along with the background of the policy reversal through his SNS.

Late at night on the 17th, Mayor Kwon explained on Facebook, "Around 6 p.m. today, we received additional guidelines stating that 'the restriction on operating hours after 9 p.m. for multi-use facilities and the prohibition of gatherings for certain businesses, which were initially left to the autonomous decision of local governments, will be implemented nationwide.'"

He continued, "The Daegu-style social distancing adjustment plan was decided faithfully following the procedures and guidelines set by the government, which allow local governors to adjust according to regional circumstances, and it was also consulted with the neighboring local government, Gyeongsangbuk-do."

He then expressed displeasure, saying, "I deeply regret that a staff member of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, who should be well aware of these circumstances, made incomprehensible remarks such as caution and regret today, as if Daegu City was out of sync with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters."

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