Gwangju City to Implement Level 1 Social Distancing from July... Private Gatherings Allowed up to 8 People

Mandatory Diagnostic Testing Every Two Weeks for Entertainment Industry Workers: Expansion of the 'Gwangju-style Autonomous Responsibility Quarantine System'

Kim Jong-hyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, is conducting an online briefing on COVID-19 at the city hall briefing room on the 29th. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 29th that it will transition to a new Level 1 social distancing starting July 1 and apply a two-week implementation period.

This measure follows the government's reorganization of the social distancing system from five levels to four levels to establish a sustainable distancing system based on autonomy and responsibility.

Private gatherings are allowed up to 8 people, as piloted. In multi-use facilities such as restaurants, reservations and accompanying entries are limited to 8 people.

Capacity limits per facility area will also be adjusted and changed.

For six types of entertainment facilities, coin karaoke rooms, bathhouses, indoor sports facilities, direct sales promotion centers for door-to-door sales, beauty salons, arcades/multi-rooms, museums/art galleries/science centers, party rooms, massage parlors, and massage shops, one person is allowed per 6㎡ of facility area.

Kids cafes, sports dojangs, and GX-type facilities allow one person per 4㎡ of facility area, and seat spacing restrictions in movie theaters, performance halls, and PC rooms will be lifted.

However, citizens who have received their second vaccine dose and passed 14 days are exempt from capacity restrictions.

Additionally, the Gwangju-type autonomous responsibility quarantine system, implemented since the 7th, will be expanded.

The mandatory preemptive diagnostic testing target will be expanded to include not only workers in entertainment establishments and karaoke rooms but also workers in establishments where users sing using karaoke accompaniment machines. This includes music video rooms and karaoke rooms inside arcades. Failure to comply will result in a three-week business suspension.

Furthermore, in response to the recent increase in confirmed cases imported from overseas variants such as Delta, native-speaking instructors at schools and academies are strongly encouraged to actively undergo preemptive testing.

If confirmed cases occur due to violations of quarantine rules in six types of entertainment facilities, karaoke rooms, party rooms, indoor sports facilities, bathhouses, reading rooms/study cafes, and restaurant/cafe-related facilities, business operations will be suspended for three weeks.

If confirmed cases occur in religious facilities, the current measure of prohibiting gatherings at the facility for two weeks will be enforced. If confirmed cases arise through meetings, meals, or lodging at religious facilities, a ban on related activities will be considered for the entire facility of the respective religion.

Kim Jonghyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju, stated, “We must not forget that COVID-19 can spread rapidly on a large scale the moment we become careless,” and urged, “Please strictly follow personal quarantine rules such as keeping visitor logs, wearing masks, and washing hands.”

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