Why Direct Family Members Are Excluded from the 'Ban on Private Gatherings of Five or More' Rule

Frequent Complaints and Fatigue Due to Prolonged Duration... Allowing Cases Needing Care

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Starting from the 15th, direct family members will be excluded from the 'ban on private gatherings of five or more people.' Until now, direct family members who were not cohabiting were not allowed to gather, which led to frequent complaints, reflecting concerns about accumulated fatigue due to the prolonged measures.

On the 13th, Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing, "The social distancing levels will be eased from the 15th to Level 2 in the metropolitan area and Level 1.5 in non-metropolitan areas," adding, "The ban on private gatherings of five or more people will be maintained for another two weeks, but direct family members will be excluded from the application."

Son explained, "The ban on private gatherings of five or more people has been in place for a considerable time?since December 24 last year in the metropolitan area and from early January in non-metropolitan areas?so it is inevitable that fatigue has accumulated in many aspects of daily life. In particular, since gatherings among direct family members who do not live together are currently not recognized, the measure has long prevented people living nearby from visiting briefly, which has led to many complaints."

He continued, "Considering these issues and to alleviate fatigue, it has been decided to make an exception for direct family members to allow brief visits within the ban on private gatherings of five or more people. However, due to concerns about infections through personal contact or meetings, the ban on private gatherings of five or more people will be maintained for another two weeks."

Accordingly, gatherings of ▲ direct family members (lineal ascendants and descendants), ▲ cases requiring care such as children, elderly, or disabled persons, and ▲ gatherings of family or acquaintances when there is a possibility of imminent death will be allowed even if there are five or more people.

Additionally, direct family members may hold dining gatherings even if the number exceeds four, and family meetings or events such as New Year's bows (sebae), ancestral rites (charye), and memorial services (including the 49th day and post-funeral rites) are also permitted.

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