"What Crime Did Small Business Owners Commit?"... What Do You Think About the 'One-Strike Out System'?

'One Strike Out' Policy Applied from the 8th
Some Self-Employed Protest "Excessive Measures," "What Did We Do Wrong?"
Joe Eun-hee: "Government Kicked the Quarantine Own Goal and Now Blames Us? Outrageous"

A restaurant in Seoul preparing to open for business. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "What crime have small business owners committed?"

Recently, with the implementation of the so-called 'One-Strike Out System,' where even a single violation of quarantine rules in multi-use facilities results in a ten-day business suspension, the sighs of self-employed individuals have deepened. Self-employed people who had hoped for a relaxation of social distancing measures earlier this month are instead expressing frustration and despair as the number of confirmed cases recently reached the 1,200 range, leading to stricter social distancing regulations, which they call "excessive measures."

According to the 'Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act,' effective from the 8th, multi-use facilities such as cafes and restaurants with a high risk of infection spread must prepare entry logs and enforce mask-wearing, and violating these quarantine guidelines even once will result in a 10-day suspension of operations.

If violations are confirmed again, a second offense results in a 20-day suspension, a third offense leads to a 3-month suspension, and from the fourth offense onward, closure orders and other stringent measures will be enforced.

Initially, the quarantine authorities issued warnings for first-time violations and imposed business suspensions of 10 days, 20 days, or 3 months for repeated violations. However, from this day forward, operations will be suspended for ten days immediately without any warning.

Photo by Screenshot of 'Apeunikka Sajangida,' the largest self-employed community in Korea.

Self-employed individuals criticize this as "excessive measures" and raise their voices in protest. Mr. A, a cafe owner in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "What crime have self-employed people committed? When the government tightens social distancing regulations, the self-employed become the biggest scapegoats," adding, "No matter how much restrictions are imposed on customers, they only follow the quarantine rules at that moment and often ignore them later."

He continued, "Sometimes, when busy working, I can't always check if customers are wearing masks. How can we be expected to manage everything from A to Z?" and criticized, "I don't understand why only the innocent self-employed are constantly being regulated."

The hardships of self-employed people can also be easily found in online communities. One netizen opened up on the country's largest self-employed community, 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It's Painful, I'm a Boss), saying, "Since last November, we've endured eight months of business hour reductions and personnel restrictions without relief."

He pointed out, "Shouldn't we sincerely thank the self-employed who have endured unilateral damage for eight months? But all we hear is that there will be no tolerance for quarantine violations and that a one-strike out will result in a 10-day business suspension."

He added, "Did the self-employed spread COVID-19? No matter how much they are tormented, only the self-employed, who cannot raise their voices, are being blamed. I'm so angry at our reality where we cannot speak out," he vented.

Jo Eun-hee, the mayor of Seocho-gu, Seoul, also criticized the 'One-Strike Out System,' saying, "The main culprits worsening the situation that led to the 4th wave are young people in their 20s and 30s, not the self-employed, but the Moon Jae-in administration," and added, "I'm angry at the government's quarantine measures that threaten the public with a 'one-strike out' after making mistakes themselves."

On the morning of the 9th, citizens visiting the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center screening clinic in Seoul are waiting in line for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) test. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, some support the measure, saying that curbing the rapid spread amid the full-scale 4th wave of COVID-19 is an urgent priority.

Office worker Kang (26) said, "It's unfortunate, but it seems like an unavoidable measure. The number of confirmed cases is breaking records every day. Until vaccination stabilizes, strong quarantine measures must be enforced," adding, "Such measures will raise awareness among both business owners and customers."

Some argue that customers, not business owners, should be regulated. One netizen said, "Customers are the ones violating quarantine rules, so why should self-employed people suffer? How are we supposed to run our businesses? I don't know how much longer self-employed people have to endure," expressing frustration.

Regarding this, quarantine authorities stated that responsibility will be distinguished if visitors, users, or customers violate quarantine rules. However, there are concerns that clearly distinguishing responsibility may be difficult, reducing the effectiveness of the measures.

Meanwhile, the government announced that social distancing in the metropolitan area will be raised to level 4 starting from the 12th due to the spread of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum apologized regarding the strengthening of social distancing, saying, "I am sorry to ask the people in the metropolitan area to once again give up their daily lives and endure hardship," and added, "I regret that this measure will cause difficulties for small business owners and the self-employed. Although it will be difficult to fully compensate for the damage, the government will strive to provide the best support in accordance with the Loss Compensation Act."

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