[Reporter’s Notebook] Discord Echoes in the ‘War on Quarantine’ Everywhere

On the morning of the 9th, members of the National Newlywed Couples Association are staging a wreath protest in front of the Government Seoul Office, demanding improvements to the government's wedding quarantine guidelines.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Since July, the police have launched a war against ‘illegal entertainment establishments.’ As of the 12th of this month, two months later, a total of 34,648 police officers have been mobilized for crackdowns, and 5,869 people have been caught. Most of them were entertainment bars and karaoke rooms that secretly operated in violation of the gathering ban order. However, behind this, there are entertainment bar owners who comply with the gathering ban but face threats to their livelihoods. About 30 entertainment bar owners in Seoul have started one-person protests since the 9th, saying, "The industry is being driven to death." They question the government, asking, "Did the number of confirmed cases decrease while self-employed people were closing their businesses?"

The debate over the fairness of quarantine policies is not new. The discord heard everywhere is too serious to ignore. The backlash from newlyweds preparing for their weddings is a representative example. On the day entertainment facility owners started their one-person protests, newlyweds held a ‘wreath protest’ in front of the Government Seoul Office. Listening to their stories makes it understandable. When signing a contract for a wedding hall, the minimum guaranteed number of guests is around 200, but the current quarantine guidelines allow only up to 49 people if food is served, and up to 99 if not, so their frustration is natural. Simply saying, "It’s okay not to have that wedding," would be like driving a nail into the coffin of couples preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime wedding.

There are also criticisms that the ‘vaccine incentive’ actually encourages loopholes or illegal operations in real business sites. It is heard here and there that small restaurants and others that do not use QR check-ins do not properly verify vaccination certificates. In some cases, they do not check certificates at all and accept six customers after 6 p.m. This is a clear violation of quarantine rules, but the feelings of self-employed people who have suffered so far are also fully understandable.

Ahead of Chuseok, the government once again changed some quarantine rules under the name of ‘special quarantine measures.’ Frequent changes in quarantine policies may cause confusion among the public. Only when clear principles, effective quarantine guidelines, and enforcement are in place will such discord subside.

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