Gwangju City Lowers Social Distancing to Level 1.5 from the 15th... Gatherings of 5 or More Prohibited

Six Types of Entertainment Venues Allowed to Operate Until 10 PM... Up to 4 People per Room Allowed

Restaurants and Cafes (Including Unmanned Cafes) and Party Rooms Can Operate Without Time Restrictions

Karaoke Rooms and Indoor Standing Perf

On the afternoon of the 13th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, held an online briefing on COVID-19 at the city hall briefing room and announced details regarding the adjustment of the 'social distancing' levels. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City will lower the social distancing level to 1.5 starting from the 15th. However, private gatherings of five or more people will continue to be prohibited.

On the 13th at 2 p.m., Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated in a briefing regarding the adjustment of the social distancing level, “During the Lunar New Year holiday, our city recorded a cumulative total of nine confirmed COVID-19 cases, indicating that the situation is stabilizing,” and added, “In accordance with government policy, the social distancing level will be adjusted from level 2 to level 1.5 from the 15th to the 28th.”

Mayor Lee said, “This is the result of the united efforts of citizens, quarantine authorities, and medical staff. In particular, I thank the citizens who actively cooperated with the quarantine rules by refraining from visiting hometowns and meeting family members during the Lunar New Year holiday.”

According to Gwangju’s adjustment, starting from the 15th, ▲the ban on private gatherings of five or more people will continue. However, for direct family members, gatherings of five or more are allowed even if they are not cohabiting family members.

▲The six types of entertainment facilities (nightclubs, colatecs, karaoke bars, emotional pubs, hunting pubs, and holdem pubs) that had been subject to “closure orders” will be allowed to operate until 10 p.m.

However, to minimize infection risk, only up to four people per room are allowed, only solo singing is permitted, and core quarantine rules such as prohibiting dancing and moving between seats must be strictly followed.

▲Restaurants and cafes (including unmanned cafes) and party rooms can operate without time restrictions. However, core quarantine rules such as maintaining a 1-meter distance between tables, leaving one seat or table empty, or installing partitions must be strictly observed.

▲Noraebang (karaoke rooms) and indoor standing concert venues can also operate without time restrictions. However, the number of people allowed is limited to one per 4㎡ of facility area, and eating is prohibited. Direct sales promotion centers such as door-to-door sales must stop operations after 10 p.m. as per government policy.

▲Religious activities such as regular worship, mass, Buddhist ceremonies, and memorial services are allowed at up to 30% of seating capacity.

However, all face-to-face meetings, events, and meals organized by churches remain prohibited. Loud group prayers or recitations, choir activities are not allowed, and interregional exchanges and invitation events are also banned.

▲Activities of community sports clubs and group sports activities will have the “closure order” lifted, and indoor sports facilities can operate without time restrictions.

Even in this case, gatherings of five or more people are prohibited, with exceptions only for sports facilities managed by facility administrators. Additionally, core quarantine rules such as mask-wearing and social distancing must be strictly followed.

▲Bathhouses, arcades/multiboxes, study rooms, and study cafes are also allowed to operate without time restrictions.

However, adult arcades that had been subject to “closure orders” due to cluster infections will have operating hours restricted from midnight to 5 a.m., and the number of visitors will be limited to one per 4㎡ of facility area or seating must be spaced by one seat.

▲Wedding halls and funeral halls must limit the number of attendees to fewer than 500 per event according to government guidelines, and core quarantine rules such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and maintaining visitor logs must be strictly observed. If a confirmed case occurs, quarantine rules such as closure orders will be immediately strengthened.

▲For social welfare facilities, only non-contact visits are allowed in elderly care facilities, and all welfare facility workers should refrain from visiting other facilities except for commuting.

Also, PCR preemptive testing is mandatory twice a week for nursing hospitals, once a week for nursing facilities and psychiatric hospitals, targeting workers and caregivers.

▲Public facilities, amusement parks, sledding hills, and skating rinks can operate at up to 50% capacity, and sports games can admit spectators up to 30% of seating capacity.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop of Gwangju said, “This adjustment reflects the growing fatigue of citizens due to the prolonged social distancing and the increasing hardships faced by self-employed and small business owners. We have taken measures to find a balance between quarantine and livelihood,” and emphasized, “Please keep in mind that this is a shift from quarantine that ‘closes businesses’ to quarantine where ‘businesses practice and take responsibility themselves.’ We ask for strict compliance with quarantine rules based on autonomy and responsibility.”

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