From Next Month 1st, Private Gatherings Allowed Up to 10 People... 'Vaccine Pass' Introduced for Karaoke and Entertainment Venues

Public Hearing on Phased Return to Normal Life Implementation Plan... Government Draft Proposal Released

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 be normalized sequentially starting December 1. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government will enter the ‘Phased Return to Normal Life (With Corona)’ starting from the 1st of next month, following the achievement of the national vaccination completion rate target of 70%. The government plans to implement phased easing of quarantine measures in three stages at six-week intervals and will lift restrictions on operating hours for restaurants and cafes starting next month. Private gatherings will be allowed up to 10 people regardless of vaccination status from next month, and vaccine passes (proof of vaccination or negative test) will be introduced for certain facilities such as karaoke rooms, bathhouses, and indoor sports facilities.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a public hearing on the ‘COVID-19 Phased Return to Normal Life Implementation Plan’ at 2 p.m. on the 25th at the Korea Press Center, unveiling the government’s draft strategy for promoting the return to normal life.

In her opening remarks, Jeong Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, “Last Saturday (the 23rd), 70% of the entire population completed vaccination, laying the foundation to begin the phased return to normal life. To successfully promote the return to normal life, it is necessary to continuously monitor the situation within manageable levels and proceed with a stable and gradual transition.”

Commissioner Jeong emphasized, “We will increase the vaccination rate to over 80% nationwide and promptly proceed with additional vaccinations for high-risk groups. Through proof of vaccination and negative test systems, we plan to ease social distancing centered on vaccinated individuals and quickly restore key socio-economic functions.” However, she added, “We will carefully proceed to ensure that unvaccinated individuals are not discriminated against or marginalized during this process.”

According to the government’s draft plan released that day, the government will ease quarantine measures in three stages at six-week intervals starting early next month. In particular, the government will introduce proof of vaccination and negative test requirements for certain high-risk facilities such as entertainment venues to gradually lift quarantine restrictions.

In the first phase of revision, considering the difficulties faced by livelihood facilities, operating hour restrictions will be lifted for all facilities, and entertainment venues will have their time restrictions lifted in two stages. Accordingly, restaurants and cafes in the metropolitan area will be allowed to operate after 10 p.m., and high-risk facilities such as entertainment venues, colatecs, and dance halls, which were previously banned from gathering, will be accessible until midnight for vaccinated individuals and those with negative test results.

Gathering Ban Lifted for Entertainment Venues... Weddings Allowed for Up to 500 People

Private gatherings will be allowed up to 10 people regardless of vaccination status during the first and second phases, with restrictions lifted in the third phase. Accordingly, gatherings in the metropolitan area will increase from the current 8 to 10 people, while the current limit of 10 people will be maintained in non-metropolitan areas. Park Hyang, head of the quarantine task force at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, “Considering the relatively low impact on the livelihood economy compared to the worsening quarantine situation due to increased year-end and New Year gatherings and restrictions on livelihood facilities and events, we will proceed with phased easing.”

Visits to high-risk facilities such as nursing hospitals, nursing homes, inpatient wards, and facilities for the disabled, where the risk of death from infection is high, will be allowed only for vaccinated visitors. Unvaccinated staff and caregivers will be required to undergo mandatory weekly PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing.

The allowed number of participants for events and gatherings will also be significantly increased. In the first phase, events with fewer than 100 people will be allowed regardless of vaccination status, while events with 100 or more people will be limited to vaccinated individuals and others. Accordingly, weddings, first birthday parties, exhibitions, concerts, and rallies can host up to 500 people without restrictions on numbers if operated only by vaccinated individuals or those with negative test results. In the second phase, the number limit will be removed to allow large-scale events, and in the third phase, all restrictions on numbers will be lifted.

Three-Stage Quarantine Easing at Six-Week Intervals... Emergency Plans to Be Established if Situation Worsens

The government will begin the first phase of revision from the 1st of next month and operate it for four weeks, followed by a two-week evaluation period to determine the stability of the situation before deciding on the next phase implementation. Criteria for transition include vaccination completion rate, intensive care unit and inpatient bed capacity, weekly severe patient and death counts, epidemic scale, and reproduction number.

Before entering the phased return to normal life, the government plans to establish emergency plans to stabilize the quarantine situation. If the ICU and inpatient bed occupancy rate worsens to over 80% or if there is a sharp increase in weekly severe patients and deaths, strong emergency measures may be temporarily implemented. The implementation of emergency plans will be decided by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters after consultation with the Return to Normal Life Support Committee.

In line with the phased return to normal life, home treatment will be gradually expanded, and the role of living treatment centers will be adjusted. Commissioner Jeong said, “Medical response will be reorganized to focus on severe patients, expanding home treatment for asymptomatic and mild patients to optimize the use of medical resources. Quarantine response will be rationally adjusted in epidemiological investigations and diagnostic systems, considering the risk levels of vaccinated individuals and others.”

The draft plan for phased return to normal life released that day will be further discussed at the 3rd Return to Normal Life Support Committee meeting on the 27th and finalized after the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 29th.

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