"Prohibition of Indoor Eating at Rest Areas During Hometown Visits After Vaccination" ... Chuseok Traffic Measures Implemented

Only Takeout Allowed at Rest Areas... Indoor Dining Prohibited
Top-Level Quarantine Measures Established at Terminals and Stations
Recommendation to Refrain from Visiting Hometowns if Unvaccinated
60 Drones Deployed to Strengthen Traffic Violation Enforcement

Starting from the 17th, when the Chuseok holiday begins, the 'Government Joint Special Traffic Measures' will be implemented. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the government is promoting visiting hometowns with the minimum number of people after completing vaccination, and plans to establish the highest level of quarantine measures at all transportation facilities such as railway stations, terminals, and rest areas.

On the 14th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will establish and implement the Government Joint Special Traffic Measures based on the principle of 'vaccination before departure, diagnostic testing after return, and prioritizing quarantine and safety during travel.'

According to a survey conducted by the Korea Transport Institute, a total of 32.26 million people are expected to travel during the Chuseok special traffic period from the 17th to the 22nd. This averages about 5.38 million people per day, and the number of vehicles using highways is predicted to be 4.72 million per day. The average daily travel volume is expected to increase by about 3.5% compared to last Chuseok.

Since the COVID-19 Delta variant is dominant and the 4th wave is ongoing, the government is focusing on quarantine and safety management. At highway rest areas, only takeout is allowed for all menu items, and indoor table operations are suspended. Contact is minimized by separating entrance and exit routes, and entry logs are mandatory. This Chuseok, temporary screening clinics will be operated at nine major highway rest areas to facilitate convenient diagnostic testing during travel.

For railways, only window seats will be sold, and airlines will ensure passenger safety by spacing seats apart. Passenger ships will manage boarding numbers at about 50% of the ship's capacity. Thorough measures such as enhanced disinfection before and after operation, frequent ventilation, non-face-to-face ticketing, and mandatory mask-wearing inside vehicles will be strictly enforced for all modes of transportation.

Similar to last Chuseok and this year's Lunar New Year, highway tolls will be charged normally during this Chuseok holiday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "The toll revenue during this period will be used for public purposes such as quarantine activities."

The government plans to conduct extensive publicity on quarantine rules. It recommends visiting hometowns with the minimum number of people after completing vaccination or receiving diagnostic tests, and advises refraining from visits if parents are unvaccinated.

To ensure a safe and convenient holiday period without traffic accident fatalities, strict crackdowns on drowsy driving, drunk driving, and reckless driving will be conducted. For this purpose, 60 drones equipped with surveillance cameras, 342 undercover patrol cars, police helicopters, and others will be deployed. Signal violations by delivery motorcycles, which have significantly increased due to COVID-19, will also be intensively monitored.

Real-time road traffic information can be checked through mobile websites and information hotlines of the National Traffic Information Center, Korea Expressway Corporation, National Traffic Information Center, and Highway Traffic Information.

Oh Myung-so, Director of the Transport and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "To quickly overcome the 4th wave of COVID-19, it is necessary to establish thorough traffic quarantine measures for unavoidable travel during this Chuseok, just like previous holidays," and urged, "we ask for active participation in the government's quarantine measures."

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