"Even After Vaccination, Masks Must Stay On Outdoors in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... 'Indefinitely' Until Decline Begins (Comprehensive)"

Jungdaebon Announces 'Strengthened Metropolitan Area Quarantine Measures'
Vaccinated Individuals Also Required to Wear Masks Indoors and Outdoors; Outdoor Drinking Prohibited After 10 PM
Screening Clinic Operating Hours Extended to 9 PM

Decision on Applying New Social Distancing Measures in Metropolitan Area to Be Made on the 7th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] As the spread of COVID-19 continues unabated mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area, the government has decided to strengthen some quarantine measures in the metropolitan area again. Even those who have completed vaccination will be required to wear masks both indoors and outdoors, and drinking alcohol outdoors in parks, riversides, etc., will be prohibited after 10 p.m.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at the regular COVID-19 briefing on the 4th, "The average daily number of domestic patients over the past week was 655, an increase of 33.1% compared to the previous week, of which patients in the metropolitan area increased by 46.2% to 531," adding, "The government and metropolitan local governments discussed measures to strengthen quarantine measures to suppress the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area at today's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting and decided accordingly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mandatory Mask Wearing Indoors and Outdoors from Today, Even If Vaccinated

Accordingly, in the metropolitan area, wearing masks indoors and outdoors is mandatory regardless of vaccination status. Also, outdoor drinking in parks, riversides, and other places is prohibited after 10 p.m. Son said, "The recommendation to wear masks indoors and outdoors will be implemented immediately from today, but regarding penalties, if there are many violations in each local government, they plan to change the administrative order itself and apply penalties," adding, "The ban on outdoor drinking after 10 p.m. is primarily a matter that local governments must prohibit by ordinance, so administrative measures themselves will take about a day or two."

These measures will continue until the epidemic situation in the metropolitan area improves. Son said, "Since it is somewhat abstractly set as 'until the situation improves,' these measures will continue without a fixed period until the epidemic situation stabilizes and shifts to a decreasing trend."

Until the quarantine situation stabilizes, the government joint quarantine inspection team will operate for seven major high-risk multi-use facilities in the metropolitan area. These include academies and private institutes (Ministry of Education), indoor sports facilities, religious facilities, singing rooms (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), bathhouses (Ministry of Health and Welfare), entertainment facilities, and restaurants and cafes (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety). Inspections will be prioritized in areas with many recent confirmed cases, such as Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, and Songpa-gu in Seoul. Until the 14th, special quarantine field inspections centered on the metropolitan area will be conducted alongside government joint quarantine inspections targeting about 4,000 workplaces with high infection vulnerability to avoid overlap.

Furthermore, the government has decided to impose penalties under a zero-tolerance principle to enhance accountability for individuals, businesses, and regions violating quarantine rules. For individuals, active fines will be imposed for violations, and those confirmed positive due to quarantine violations will be excluded from receiving living support funds. The government will also actively exercise claims for damages in cases of causing group infections. For businesses, a one-strike-out system will be implemented for serious quarantine violations. Separate from various compensation exclusions and fines, a two-week closure order will be imposed.

Considering that the number of tests in the metropolitan area has been decreasing for over three months despite the spread and that confirmed cases outside the quarantine network are increasing, diagnostic testing will also be strengthened. First, the government plans to add temporary screening clinics or mobile screening clinics mainly in areas with high floating populations and density, such as Jung-gu, Gangnam, and Songpa in Seoul.

Operating hours of screening clinics will also be extended. In Seoul, operating hours will be extended from 5-6 p.m. on weekdays to 9 p.m., and on weekends from 3-4 p.m. to 6 p.m. In Gyeonggi Province (adjacent cities and counties to Seoul with populations over 500,000), screening clinics will operate until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Strengthened Response to Variants... Overseas Inflow Also Surges with '80 Cases Today'

On this day, the number of confirmed cases from overseas inflow reached 81, the second highest since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Korea in January last year. Regarding the recent increase in overseas inflow cases, Son said, "The number of overseas arrivals is currently similar, but the worsening COVID-19 situation overseas and the large number of arrivals from regions with many infections such as Indonesia are believed to be causing the increase," emphasizing, "However, overseas inflow patients are continuously tested by PCR upon entry and are quarantined and monitored."

The authorities plan to strengthen quarantine measures to block overseas inflow and domestic spread in response to the spread of variant viruses. Currently, facility quarantine is implemented for arrivals from high-risk countries, and on the 1st, eight countries including India and Indonesia were added to the list of countries excluded from quarantine exemption.

Son said, "The Delta variant is spreading worldwide and becoming dominant in many countries," adding, "We will monitor the situation and expand follow-up measures as appropriate, such as increasing the number of countries excluded from quarantine exemption and strengthening verification procedures like PCR negative certificates."

Since variant viruses are already spreading domestically, the government will also expand the variant virus analysis rate. The current variant analysis rate of 15% will be increased to 20%, and in the metropolitan area, testing will be expanded to 25%.

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