Suncheon-si, Strong Response to Violations of Social Distancing Quarantine Guidelines

Fines for Violations of Private Gatherings of Five or More People

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Heo Seok) announced on the 26th that it will impose administrative penalties such as fines on cases of quarantine rule violations confirmed through epidemiological investigations among COVID-19 confirmed cases.

The main violation involved a private gathering of more than seven people on the 11th at a local restaurant, where the group split into two tables to eat and drink, violating the ban on private gatherings of seven or more people (under the revised Social Distancing Level 1). This gathering resulted in a total of four COVID-19 confirmed cases.

On the 19th, another violation occurred at a private office in the area, where people gathered, ordered food delivery, and ate and drank together, violating the ban on private gatherings of five or more people. This gathering led to three COVID-19 confirmed cases.

The city plans to impose fines of 3 million KRW on business owners and 100,000 KRW on users according to Article 49 and Article 83 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act and Article 33 of its Enforcement Decree. Additionally, a thorough investigation will be conducted to check for any further quarantine violations, and strong measures such as prosecution will be taken.

A city quarantine official stated, “If quarantine rule violations are confirmed at locations where COVID-19 infections occurred, we will apply a zero-tolerance policy without exception, imposing fines or banning gatherings.” The official added, “Regardless of infection status, businesses or users violating core quarantine rules such as mask-wearing, compliance with business hours, and limits on the number of users will also face fines and gathering bans.”

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