"Does COVID-19 Spread Only After 9 PM?"... 'Effectiveness Questioned' Shortened Business Hours Frustrate Small Business Owners

'9 PM Curfew' Sparks Strong Backlash from Self-Employed
Business Owners "20s and 30s Haven't Started Vaccination... Incentives Useless"
Experts "Incentives Should Be Expanded for Fully Vaccinated"

The streets of Hongdae in Seoul appeared quiet last July.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The government’s decision to shorten the operating hours of restaurants and cafes in areas under Level 4 social distancing to 9 p.m. has sparked strong backlash from self-employed business owners. The prolonged impact of COVID-19 over the past year and a half has already dealt a severe blow to their sales, and the continuously changing quarantine policies have only increased their fatigue.

In particular, among business owners, complaints are emerging regarding the effectiveness of the 9 p.m. operating hour reduction guideline. They argue that shortening operating hours by just one hour does little to curb the spread of COVID-19, while the damage to self-employed individuals is substantial in comparison.

Experts suggest that if shortening operating hours is absolutely necessary, the government should consider applying higher incentives for those who have completed vaccination than currently offered.

Recently, many posts expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s operating hour reduction measures have appeared in online communities where self-employed business owners gather. A person identified as A, who runs a restaurant, said, “The 9 p.m. operating restriction essentially means closing by 8 p.m. At that time, office workers have little time after work to come for a meal. It’s practically telling us to give up on dinner business.”

A continued, “Is there a law that says the virus spreads more only after 9 p.m.? Hiring part-time workers is also burdensome. Debt is increasing, and I’m on the verge of bankruptcy,” adding, “I’ve never experienced a crisis like this in my life.”

On the 2nd, the alley commercial area near Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, appeared quiet. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Mr. Lee, in his 50s, who runs a pasta restaurant in Incheon, pointed out that the effectiveness of the 9 p.m. operating hour restriction seems limited.

Mr. Lee explained, “Since the social distancing measures were strengthened, we have mostly been operating around lunchtime. Even when the operating hour was restricted to 10 p.m., customers stopped coming around 9 p.m., so we sometimes closed at 8 p.m.”

He added, “People don’t particularly gather more between 9 and 10 p.m., so I’m not sure if closing an hour earlier makes much difference. Moreover, many other business owners are strongly opposed?do we really need to go this far?”

Earlier, the government announced it would extend the 'Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas' social distancing measures for two weeks from the 23rd of this month to the 5th of next month, shortening the operating hours of restaurants and cafes in Level 4 areas from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m.

However, regarding the 'two-person limit on private gatherings after 6 p.m.,' gatherings of up to four people including two fully vaccinated individuals (those who are 14 days past their second dose) are allowed only in cafes and restaurants. This is an 'incentive' applied considering the progress of vaccination.

Nevertheless, self-employed business owners say that even with vaccine incentives, it is insufficient to revitalize commercial districts. There are still not many people who have completed the second dose of vaccination, and most of those who have are elderly people aged 60 and above. The younger and middle-aged groups (ages 18?49), who are expected to frequent restaurants and cafes during evening hours, will only begin their first dose vaccinations on the 26th.

Therefore, this two-week extension of social distancing inevitably feels like a more stringent measure to self-employed business owners. A netizen in a self-employed community said, “It seems like they brought up the incentive plan just to show they are trying to reduce the damage to self-employed people, but it’s useless,” adding, “Even if some customers use the incentives, it’s only a portion, and it doesn’t prevent the damage caused by shortened operating hours.”

Experts recommend considering expanding incentives for those who have completed vaccination.

Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said, “During the third wave, we saw a clear reduction in confirmed cases due to operating hour restrictions. However, it is questionable whether such measures will be effective in this fourth wave,” pointing out, “As social distancing prolongs, people tend to meet during the day rather than late at night. That’s why there are complaints that the 9 p.m. restriction only harms self-employed business owners.”

He continued, “It would be better to strengthen penalties on places that operate illegally or violate guidelines rather than those that follow quarantine rules well. Also, it is worth considering loosening the private gathering limits for fully vaccinated individuals beyond the current level and extending the operating hours for restaurants and similar establishments.”

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