Half of the Nation Vaccinated... Social Distancing Extended for 2 Weeks

2,486 New Confirmed Cases, Another Weekly Record Broken
Up to 199 Attendees Allowed at Weddings in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

On the morning of the 1st, a citizen is receiving the Moderna vaccine at Hongik Hospital in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The COVID-19 vaccination completion rate has surpassed 50%. Accordingly, from the 4th of this month, the number of people allowed to attend weddings, first birthday parties (doljanchi), and outdoor sports facilities will be slightly increased, but only for those who have completed vaccination. However, as the recent spread continues, the current social distancing level has been extended for another two weeks.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 1st, "More than 50% of the entire population has completed their second dose of the vaccine." According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the same day, as of the previous day, 25,713,009 people had completed vaccination, accounting for 50.1% of the total population. It has been 216 days since COVID-19 vaccination began on February 26 and 194 days since the second dose started on March 20. The first dose vaccination rate was recorded at 76.6%.

The government's phased easing measures for daily life recovery are expected to gain momentum. Prime Minister Kim said, "We will actively prepare for the full-scale recovery of daily life this month when the vaccination completion rate exceeds 70%."

However, the low response to additional reservations for unvaccinated adults aged 18 and over raises concerns. Among approximately 5.83 million unvaccinated people, only 8.9%, or 517,793, applied for vaccination in advance. The government plans to implement measures to increase the vaccination rate, such as allowing people to visit medical institutions directly without separate reservations from the 18th to receive leftover vaccines immediately, but the effectiveness remains uncertain.

On the morning of the 15th of last month, members of the National Newlywed Couples Association held a wedding car parking protest at the public parking lot in Yeouido Park, Seoul, demanding improvements to the government's wedding quarantine guidelines. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Following the resurgence of the fourth wave after Chuseok, the government decided to maintain the current social distancing levels for two more weeks: level 4 in the metropolitan area and level 3 in non-metropolitan areas. Prime Minister Kim explained, "Considering the intensified COVID-19 spread after Chuseok and the two consecutive holidays starting this weekend, we have decided to maintain the current distancing levels for the next two weeks." Restrictions on private gatherings will also remain unchanged.

However, vaccination incentives will be strengthened for weddings, first birthday parties (doljanchi), and outdoor sports facilities, which have sparked controversy over fairness due to effective business restrictions. Currently, at level 4, weddings can have up to 49 attendees if meals are served and up to 99 if not. If only vaccinated individuals are added, these numbers increase to 99 and 199, respectively. For doljanchi, up to 49 people can attend if vaccinated individuals are included under level 4. For outdoor sports facilities, in the case of team sports, the number of participants can increase to 1.5 times the usual number if only vaccinated individuals are added, beyond the private gathering restrictions.

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 2,486 new COVID-19 cases were reported, marking eight consecutive days with over 2,000 cases. The weekly average of domestically transmitted cases in the metropolitan area reached 1,987.7, showing a continuous upward trend. This is nearly double the level of 1,000 cases per week, which is the criterion for level 4 distancing.

In non-metropolitan areas, except for Daegu, where infections related to foreign acquaintances' gatherings continue, the spread is not significant, and regions such as Busan, Jeonnam, and Jeju are in a situation where a downgrade to level 2 is possible. However, to prevent a balloon effect caused by discrepancies in quarantine rules between regions, the current distancing levels have been maintained.

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