With Corona to Start Next Month... Restrictions on Restaurant and Cafe Operating Hours Lifted

On the 25th, a notice about the end of late-night train reductions due to the planned transition to the phased daily recovery (With Corona) stage was posted at Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Subway Line 5. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 24th that "Seoul Subway Lines 2 and 5 to 9, the Uisinseol Line, city buses, and village buses will operate normally from the 25th, returning to the pre-reduction stage." Subway Lines 3 and 4, which operate in connection with Korail, are scheduled to gradually return to normal service starting December 1. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the COVID-19 vaccination rate surpasses 70%, the draft for the upcoming "Phased Return to Normal Life (With Corona)" will be unveiled on the 25th. It is highly likely that the current operating hour restrictions on businesses such as restaurants and cafes?10 PM in the metropolitan area and midnight in non-metropolitan areas?will be lifted.

The government will hold a "COVID-19 Phased Return to Normal Life Implementation Plan Public Hearing" at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the same day to announce the draft of the implementation plan for the return to normal life in the healthcare and quarantine sectors. Since the government’s target of "70% of the entire population and 80% of adults fully vaccinated" was achieved on the 23rd, the phased return to normal life, starting from the 1st of next month, is effectively entering its final countdown.

At the earlier meeting of the COVID-19 Return to Normal Life Support Committee, it was reported that the first revision in early November would likely prioritize lifting operating hour restrictions on businesses such as restaurants and cafes. Currently, restaurants and cafes in the metropolitan area can serve customers only until 10 PM, and in non-metropolitan areas until midnight, after which only takeout and delivery are allowed. Additionally, some high-risk facilities such as entertainment venues, which are currently banned from gathering in the metropolitan area, are expected to be temporarily allowed to operate by introducing a "vaccine pass (proof of vaccination or negative test)" system.

The plan will also include an "emergency plan" considering the numerous cases overseas where COVID-19 cases surged following the easing of quarantine measures for With Corona. This is to prepare for crisis situations such as worsening ICU and hospital bed occupancy rates, and a sharp increase in severe cases and deaths during the week. Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Gachon University College of Medicine’s Department of Preventive Medicine stated, "It is difficult to predict when the number of confirmed cases and the level of spread will increase during the phased return to normal life," and suggested, "A system like a 'circuit breaker' (temporary suspension of stock trading) is necessary to pause briefly when a rapid increase in damage is expected."

The draft for the phased return to normal life will be further discussed at the 3rd Return to Normal Life Support Committee meeting on the 27th, followed by a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 29th, where the final plan will be announced.

Meanwhile, booster shots for the general public will begin from today. Following the start of booster vaccinations on the 12th for COVID-19 treatment hospital workers and others, those aged 75 and older who have passed six months since completing their vaccination, residents and workers of elderly care facilities, and those aged 60 and above will begin receiving their shots today. As of the previous day, 810,000 people have applied for booster shots. All will receive the Pfizer vaccine.

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