'Balloon Effect Blocked'... Gangwon-do Entire Region Elevated to 'Social Distancing Level 2'

Ban on Private Gatherings of 9 or More Until End of July... Chuncheon Maintains Level 3
Living Treatment Centers to Resume Operation from 16th Amid Surge in Confirmed Cases

Sokcho City Songlim District Assembly Ban Notice [Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Youngcheol] Starting from the 12th, Gangwon Province raised the social distancing level to Level 2 in all cities and counties within the province due to concerns about a "balloon effect" following the implementation of Level 4 social distancing in the metropolitan area.

The province announced on the 12th, "To block the spread in the metropolitan area, the COVID-19 social distancing level has been adjusted to Level 2 from the 15th to the 31st."

Among the 18 cities and counties in the province, except for Chuncheon, which was already at Level 3, the social distancing level was raised from Level 1 to Level 2.

Accordingly, private gatherings of 9 or more people are prohibited, and events and assemblies with 100 or more people are also banned. The 15 cities and counties that previously had no restrictions on private gatherings have strengthened the limit to fewer than 9 people, while Wonju and Gangneung maintain their current levels.

Along with this, an administrative order mandating mask-wearing has been issued in all cities and counties, making mask-wearing compulsory regardless of vaccination status or crowd density.

Additionally, residents who have visited the metropolitan area or come into contact with metropolitan area residents and exhibit suspected COVID-19 symptoms must undergo diagnostic testing until the 31st. The province strongly recommends refraining from visiting the metropolitan area and from private gatherings.

Sokcho Beach [Asia Economy DB]

For the 83 East Coast beaches that opened starting from Yangyang on the 9th, measures such as congestion traffic light systems, advance reservation systems, on-site allocation systems, and designation of less crowded beaches are being operated to disperse vacationers.

In particular, large beaches such as Gyeongpo, Sokcho, Mangsang, Samcheok, and Naksan will enforce an administrative order restricting gatherings from 7 PM to 6 AM the following day.

In preparation for a surge in confirmed cases, the residential treatment centers will be reactivated starting from the 16th.

A self-treatment system will be prepared within this month for children under 12 years old, disabled patients, and others who require home isolation treatment, and it will be operated from next month.

In addition, the administrative order for diagnostic testing of foreign seasonal workers will be extended until the end of this month.

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