Changing Social Distancing Rules Again... How Many People Can Gather During Chuseok?

Five days before the Chuseok holiday, Kyungdong Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, is bustling with citizens shopping for ancestral rites supplies. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The social distancing measures, primarily Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas, will be extended for an additional four weeks from the 6th of this month until the 3rd of next month.

However, unlike the previous social distancing levels, there are changes considering that the Chuseok holiday falls in the middle of this period and the COVID-19 vaccination rate is gradually increasing. The incentive for private gathering size limits for vaccinated individuals, which had effectively become obsolete, has been reinstated, and during the Chuseok holiday, the gathering size restrictions will be temporarily relaxed.

We have summarized the complex social distancing rules with various variables by case.

If vaccinated individuals are included, the allowed number of people for private gatherings increases significantly. In Level 4 areas, gatherings of up to 6 people are allowed, and in Level 3 areas, up to 8 people. However, in Level 4 areas such as the metropolitan area, from 6 p.m. onwards, the group must include at least 2 vaccinated individuals during the day and at least 4 vaccinated individuals in the evening. Also, this applies only when using multi-use facilities. In Level 3 areas, at least 4 vaccinated individuals must be present. Currently, regions like Daegu and Gyeongnam, which had maintained unlimited private gathering incentives for vaccinated individuals, will also limit gatherings to a maximum of 8 people.

- From the 6th, how many people can gather and until what time in Level 4 areas such as the metropolitan area in the evening?

▲ Currently, in Level 4 areas, private gatherings of up to 4 people are allowed before 6 p.m., and up to 2 people after 6 p.m. However, if using restaurants or cafes and at least 2 vaccinated individuals are included, gatherings of up to 4 people are allowed until the facility's closing time at 9 p.m.

From the 6th, these standards will be increased. The maximum allowed gathering size will increase from 4 to 6 people. However, before 6 p.m., at least 2 vaccinated individuals must be included, and after 6 p.m., at least 4 vaccinated individuals must be included for a 6-person gathering to be allowed. Also, as the operating hours of restaurants and cafes are extended to 10 p.m., gatherings will be allowed until 10 p.m., and 6-person gatherings will be allowed not only in restaurants and cafes but also at home.

- Is it possible for 6 people to gather at a screen golf course in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on the 11th?

▲ No. The allowance for 6-person private gatherings in Level 4 areas applies only to restaurants, cafes, and homes. Screen golf courses, bowling alleys, billiard halls, karaoke rooms, and similar facilities must follow the basic rules. Before 6 p.m., up to 4 people can gather, and after 6 p.m., only up to 2 people are allowed.

However, such gatherings are possible in Level 3 areas. The current private gathering limit of 4 people can be extended to 8 people in Level 3 areas if at least 4 vaccinated individuals are included. The gathering locations can be restaurants, cafes, homes, and all multi-use facilities.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

- A wedding is scheduled in Seoul on Saturday (the 11th). How many guests can be invited?

▲ It depends. Previously, in Level 4 areas, excluding the hosts and the bride and groom, up to 49 guests could be invited to a wedding. Earlier, only relatives were allowed as guests, but this rule changed on July 26th to allow colleagues, friends, and others outside of relatives to attend as guests.

From the 6th, this standard will vary depending on whether meals are provided at the venue. If meals are provided, the limit remains at 49 guests, but if meals are not provided, up to 99 guests can be invited. This standard applies to the total number of attendees regardless of whether multiple spaces are rented within the venue; exceptions are not allowed.

However, Level 3 areas have more relaxed standards. In Level 3, if meals are provided, the total number of attendees is limited to 49, but if meals are not provided, nearly 300 people can attend. In Level 3 areas, even in the same wedding hall, if the spaces and movement paths of attendees are separated and the area per person meets the standard of 4㎡ per person, up to 99 people can attend per space. Accordingly, depending on the number of rented spaces, the maximum attendance can increase to 198, 297, 396, and so on.

- Ten friends, all vaccinated, from Daegu want to gather in Daegu during the Chuseok holiday. Is this possible?

▲ It is possible until today (the 5th), but not during the Chuseok holiday. As of the 5th, Daegu, a Level 3 area, exempts vaccinated individuals from the ban on private gatherings of 5 or more people. Therefore, if there are fewer than 4 unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, gatherings of more than 10 people are allowed.

However, from the 6th, this will not be possible. The seven local governments including Daegu, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, and Gangwon, which had applied unlimited gathering exceptions for vaccinated individuals, will limit gatherings to a maximum of 8 people even for vaccinated individuals starting from the 6th. Therefore, during the Chuseok holiday, gatherings are limited to 8 people in Level 3 and 6 people in Level 4 areas, even if all are vaccinated, unless they are family.

- Eight family members want to have lunch at a restaurant in Incheon during the Chuseok holiday. Is this allowed?

▲ No. Although the government allows family gatherings of up to 8 people in Level 4 areas during the Chuseok holiday period from the 17th to the 23rd, this allowance applies only to family gatherings at home. In Level 4 areas, it is a violation of quarantine rules for 7 or more family members to move together outside the home and use multi-use facilities.

Also, even for gatherings at home, at least 4 vaccinated individuals must be included. If 5 people have only received the first dose and 3 are fully vaccinated, this also violates quarantine rules.

However, in Level 3 areas, gatherings of 8 people are allowed if at least 4 vaccinated individuals are included, and the same rule applies during the Chuseok holiday. Therefore, 8 family members can use all multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes together.

On the 3rd, a sign indicating "Tables including individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19" was placed at a restaurant in Nowon-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

- Eight family members want to gather at a pension in Busan during the Chuseok holiday. Is this allowed?

▲ It is a violation of quarantine rules unless Busan lowers its social distancing level to Level 3. The allowance for 8-person family gatherings during the Chuseok holiday in Level 4 areas applies only to gatherings at home. It is not allowed even in lodging facilities.

- No family member is expected to be fully vaccinated by the Chuseok holiday. How many people can gather for a family gathering in Level 4 areas during the holiday?

▲ In principle, up to 2 people are allowed, but during the Chuseok holiday period, up to 4 people can gather at home. The family gathering size during the Chuseok holiday in Level 4 areas follows the Level 3 gathering size standards. Therefore, if only unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals gather, up to 4 family members can gather at home, and up to 2 family members can gather outside the home.

- How many people can gather to visit parents' graves in Gyeonggi Province during the Chuseok holiday?

▲ The exceptions to gathering size limits in Level 4 areas apply only to restaurants and cafes, and the exceptions for Chuseok gatherings apply only to gatherings at home. Therefore, normal private gathering size limits apply to grave visits. That is, up to 4 people can gather before 6 p.m., and up to 2 people after 6 p.m. for grave visits.

- Can I visit my mother at a nursing hospital in Seoul and see her in person?

▲ It is allowed only restrictively for two weeks from the 13th to the 26th around Chuseok. Currently, in Level 4 areas, visits are generally not allowed. Even in Level 3 or lower areas, contact visits are temporarily suspended to strengthen quarantine measures.

However, for two weeks from the 13th to the 26th around Chuseok, contact visits to nursing hospitals and facilities are allowed regardless of the social distancing level. Contact visits are only allowed if both the patient/resident and the visitor are fully vaccinated; otherwise, only non-contact visits are allowed.

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