One Day Before, 'Social Distancing' Easing Postponed... Inconsistent Policy Causes Confusion Among Citizens

Metropolitan Area Spread Delayed Due to Delta Variant Impact
'Outdoor No Mask' Vaccine Incentives Maintained
Experts: "One-Week Postponement Insufficient, No Mask Policy Requires Caution"

On the 1st, when the outdoor mask-wearing mandate for COVID-19 vaccinated individuals was lifted, employees belonging to the Chungnam Fire Headquarters who had completed their vaccinations were seen taking off their masks and talking in the park in front of Chungnam Provincial Government Office. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The government has decided to postpone by one week the implementation of the new social distancing reform plan scheduled to take effect in the Seoul metropolitan area from the 1st. Accordingly, in the metropolitan area, private gatherings remain limited to four people, and operating hours for restaurants and cafes are restricted until 10 p.m., as per the existing policy.

Originally, the government planned to allow private gatherings of up to six people in the metropolitan area and extend business hours until midnight starting that day. However, due to the increase in confirmed cases, the implementation was postponed just one day before the scheduled start. As a result, citizens who had made plans in advance and self-employed business owners who expected extended operating hours are confused. Experts had previously pointed out that easing quarantine measures was premature, raising questions about whether the decision was hasty.

On the afternoon of the 30th of last month, Seoul City, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon each issued urgent press releases announcing a one-week extension of the current social distancing measures. This was because the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases surged to nearly 800 as of midnight that day, with about 80% of cases concentrated in the metropolitan area.

Despite this situation, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) announced at a regular briefing that morning that "the new social distancing system will be implemented as scheduled from July 1." However, as the spread in the metropolitan area worsened and local governments officially requested a one-week postponement, the government eventually accepted it. This decision came with less than eight hours remaining before the new social distancing measures were to take effect.

Accordingly, in the metropolitan area, the current ban on private gatherings of five or more people will remain in effect until the 7th, and from the 8th onward, the application of the new social distancing measures will be reconsidered based on the trend of confirmed cases. Separate from the postponement of the new social distancing implementation, incentives for vaccinated individuals will continue. Anyone who has received at least one vaccine dose can remove masks outdoors in parks and walking trails and is exempt from private gathering limits.

In non-metropolitan areas, the first stage of the new social distancing reform plan is applied, allowing multi-use facilities to operate without restrictions as long as basic quarantine rules such as mask-wearing and visitor log management are followed. However, some regions have buffer periods by imposing limits on the number of people allowed in private gatherings.

COVID-19 vaccine recipients are taking off their masks and going for a walk on the 1st. / Photo by Yonhap News

The sudden change in social distancing policies caused confusion among citizens. Kim, a 30-something office worker, said, "Even though confirmed cases keep rising, they said they would ease social distancing, so I made plans for the first time in a while, but suddenly postponing it is frustrating."

Lee (52), who runs a restaurant in Incheon, said, "I placed additional orders for ingredients and prepared thoroughly because they said business hours would be extended, but now I feel empty," adding, "It's unavoidable because the situation is bad, but when quarantine policies change without notice, self-employed people suffer significant losses."

Experts have previously urged caution regarding the easing of social distancing policies. The number of daily new confirmed cases rose to the 600s from the second week of June, and the highly contagious Delta variant from India was confirmed domestically, raising concerns about a large-scale outbreak.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the domestic COVID-19 situation has worsened, with 826 new confirmed cases recorded as of midnight on the 2nd. This is the first time in 176 days since January 7 that daily new cases have reached the 800s. This is why there are criticisms that the government's easing of social distancing was premature. However, the government continues to implement vaccine incentives, such as allowing vaccinated individuals to go mask-free outdoors.

The quarantine authorities expressed concern that easing measures in the metropolitan area could lead to a rapid increase in the scale of the outbreak. Jeong Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said at an online regular briefing on the 1st, "The Delta variant has recently been confirmed in the metropolitan area, and if social distancing is eased, there is a risk of explosive spread through exposure in drinking and various multi-use facilities."

She added, "The metropolitan area is postponing the social distancing reform by about a week and continuing quarantine measures, so we will monitor the situation and adjust social distancing levels and measures accordingly."

Experts predict that the one-week postponement of the metropolitan area social distancing reform will not be enough to curb the spread.

Professor Lee Jae-gap of Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital's Infectious Diseases Department said in an interview with YTN Radio on the 1st, "It takes at least one to two weeks for the number of confirmed cases to stabilize after an increase," adding, "Especially since citizens need to actively participate for a real decrease, it is unlikely that the postponement period of just one week will be sufficient."

Regarding the policy to ease outdoor mask-wearing, he emphasized, "The concept of removing masks definitely affects loosening overall quarantine. People might forget to wear masks when moving indoors after being outdoors without masks, or they might not carry masks, so easing mask-wearing measures should be decided carefully."

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