Government to Reinstate Toll Fees on Highways During Seollal Holiday

[Asia Economy Reporter Woo Su-yeon] The government will switch highway tolls to paid during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (February 11-14) to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On the 31st, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing, "In accordance with the recommendation to 'refrain from interregional travel' during the Lunar New Year holiday, highway tolls will be switched to paid again this time," adding, "The revenue from the paid tolls will be used for COVID-19 quarantine activities." Previously, the government had also switched highway tolls to paid for three days during the last Chuseok holiday.

In addition, the government proposed various measures to encourage refraining from visiting hometowns, relatives, and traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday. Train tickets will be sold only for window seats, and the number of passengers on coastal ferries will be managed at about 50% of capacity.

Furthermore, for five weeks before and after the Lunar New Year holiday (from the fourth week of January to the fourth week of February), columbarium facilities will operate by reservation only, and food consumption inside these facilities will be prohibited. National and public cultural and artistic facilities, expected to attract large crowds during the holiday, will also operate by reservation and limit the number of users to within 30% of their capacity.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, is holding a regular briefing on COVID-19. Photo by Yonhap News.

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