Tomorrow's Metropolitan Area Social Distancing Announcement... Will the '6 PM Curfew' Level 4 Become a Reality? (Comprehensive)

"Discussion at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister tomorrow morning, followed by announcement at the briefing"

On the 8th, citizens visiting the screening clinic in Mapo-gu, Seoul, are waiting in line for COVID-19 testing. The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the same day, 1,275 new confirmed cases were reported, marking the highest number since the COVID-19 outbreak. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The government will announce adjustments to social distancing measures for the Seoul metropolitan area, where COVID-19 cases have recently surged sharply, on the 9th. Initially, the government planned to monitor the COVID-19 situation until the weekend to decide whether to raise social distancing levels, considering social and economic damages. However, with daily confirmed cases exceeding 1,000 and the situation becoming urgent, it appears they have moved to make emergency adjustments.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare sent a notice to the press corps on the 8th, stating, "On the morning of the 9th, a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will be held to discuss adjustments to the metropolitan area’s social distancing levels." They added, "The results will be announced through a briefing." Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol will hold the briefing at 11 a.m. following the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting.

Originally, the government planned to apply the new level 2 social distancing measures to the metropolitan area starting from the 1st of this month. However, due to a surge in confirmed cases ahead of the social distancing system reform, the implementation of the new system was postponed by one week, maintaining level 2 under the existing system. Despite this, as new cases continued to rise and cluster infections persisted, discussions were held considering various options including maintaining level 2 under the existing system, applying level 3 under the new system, upgrading to level 4 under the new system, or even raising Seoul alone to level 4.

On the 7th, as the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 1,200, citizens are waiting to be tested at a temporary screening clinic set up in front of Exit 6 of Samseong Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Meanwhile, a circulated online rumor stated, "From July 12 to 25, in the metropolitan area, private gatherings are allowed up to 4 people before 6 p.m. and up to 2 people after 6 p.m. Vaccinated individuals are not exempt from the private gathering limits." Additionally, with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum canceling his previous schedule and deciding to chair the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the morning of the 9th, speculation arose that the likelihood of raising social distancing levels in the metropolitan area has increased.

If level 4 social distancing is implemented, gatherings of up to 4 people will be allowed before 6 p.m., and only 2 people can meet afterward. Restaurants, cafes, karaoke rooms, movie theaters, stores, marts, and department stores will all close by 10 p.m. Clubs and emotional pubs will be subject to closure orders, suspending their operations. All assemblies and events except for solo protests will be completely banned, and only relatives will be allowed to attend weddings and funerals.

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 1,275, marking the highest daily count since the first domestic case was reported in January last year. Among these, 994 cases were from the metropolitan area, accounting for 81% of the nationwide cases. The average daily number of locally transmitted cases in the metropolitan area over the past week was about 692, which meets the criteria for level 3 (500 or more) but has not yet reached the level 4 threshold (1,000 or more).

However, the spread in Seoul is even more severe. The weekly average daily confirmed cases stand at 387, nearly reaching the level 4 threshold (389 or more). It is expected to enter level 4 criteria on the 9th. In fact, from midnight to 6 p.m. on the same day, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Seoul was counted at 430, indicating that the number of new cases announced at midnight the following day is expected to remain in the 500s for the third consecutive day.

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