'Daily Life Returns'... 12 People in Non-Metropolitan Areas Must Have Quarantine Pass to Use Gyms (Comprehensive Report 2)

'Daily Recovery' Applied Every 6 Weeks

Step 1: Easing of Business Facility Operation Restrictions
However, Lifting of Operating Hour Restrictions Starts from 'Afternoon of the 1st'
Step 2: Large-Scale Events Allowed
Step 3: Full Lifting of Private Gathering Restrictions

Gatherings Allowed up to 10 People in Capital Area, 12 People in Non-Capital Areas
Under 18, Recovered Patients, etc. Exempt from Quarantine Pass

On the 29th, ahead of the implementation of the 'Phased Daily Recovery (With Corona)' quarantine system starting from the 1st of next month, office workers and citizens are walking at Gwanghwamun Station of the Seoul subway. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Seo So-jeong and Lee Chun-hee] Starting from the 1st of next month, the number of private gatherings will increase to 10 people in the metropolitan area and 12 people in non-metropolitan areas, and all multi-use facilities except entertainment venues will be allowed to operate 24 hours a day, marking the first step back to normal life. The restoration of daily life will be implemented in three stages at six-week intervals starting next month. The government will proceed step-by-step with Stage 1 ‘Relaxation of business facility operation restrictions,’ Stage 2 ‘Permission for large-scale events,’ and Stage 3 ‘Lifting of private gathering restrictions.’

Kwon Deok-cheol, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the morning of the 29th, "We will completely overhaul the social distancing system to restore a new normal."

Entertainment venues open until midnight... Entry only for fully vaccinated

The final plan for the restoration of daily life, confirmed and announced on this day, will begin Stage 1 implementation from the 1st of next month. Stage 2 will start on December 13, and Stage 3 will begin on January 24 next year. First, from next month when Stage 1 starts, considering the difficulties faced by business facilities, restrictions on operating hours for all facilities such as restaurants and cafes will be lifted.

For entertainment venues, operating hour restrictions will be lifted in two phases. Restaurants and cafes in the metropolitan area will be able to operate freely after 10 p.m. starting from the 1st of next month. High-risk facilities such as entertainment venues, karaoke rooms, and dance halls, which had been subject to closure orders, will be allowed to open until midnight. Since mask-wearing is not possible during eating and drinking, which poses a high risk of infection, the number of unvaccinated users at restaurants and cafes will be separately limited to four people. Academies will lift restrictions from November 22, after the College Scholastic Ability Test, to ensure the safety of examinees.

However, the lifting of operating hour restrictions will apply from the afternoon of the 1st, not from midnight as originally planned. This measure reflects concerns that if restrictions were lifted from midnight on the 1st, multi-use facilities might close at 10 p.m. on the 31st due to Halloween crowds and then reopen again at midnight on the 1st, potentially causing a surge in infections. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, explained, "There was a recommendation to start from the afternoon of the 1st to avoid the risk of increased cluster infections. Please understand that operating hour restrictions will be lifted starting from the evening of the 1st."

Visits to nursing hospitals, nursing facilities, hospitalized patients, and facilities for the disabled, where the risk of death from infection is high, will be allowed only for fully vaccinated visitors. Unvaccinated staff and caregivers are required to undergo PCR testing once a week.

Regarding private gatherings, up to 10 people in the metropolitan area and 12 people in non-metropolitan areas will be allowed during the first and second stages, with restrictions lifted in the third stage. The number of people allowed at events and assemblies will also increase significantly. In the first stage, events with fewer than 100 people will be allowed regardless of vaccination status, while events with 100 or more people will be limited to fully vaccinated individuals. Accordingly, weddings, first birthday parties, exhibitions, concerts, and assemblies can host up to 500 people without restrictions if only fully vaccinated or tested negative attendees participate. The second stage will remove the limit on the number of attendees, allowing large-scale events, and the third stage will lift all restrictions on the number of participants.

For religious activities, if unvaccinated persons are included, regular religious services such as worship, Buddhist ceremonies, and memorial services will be allowed up to 50% capacity. If only fully vaccinated persons participate, the first stage will lift the capacity limit.

One-week grace period for the vaccine pass... Two weeks for indoor sports facilities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The vaccine pass (proof of vaccination or negative test) will also be implemented with some restrictions. High-risk multi-use facilities such as entertainment venues, karaoke rooms, indoor sports facilities, bathhouses, horse racing, cycling, motorboat racing, and casinos will be accessible only to fully vaccinated individuals or those with a negative PCR test. Especially for entertainment venues, only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed due to the high risk of infection. However, exceptions are made for those with a negative PCR test within 48 hours, individuals under 18, recovered patients, and those who cannot be vaccinated for unavoidable reasons.

Recovered COVID-19 patients were excluded from vaccine pass exemptions in the draft released on the 25th but were included in the final plan announced on this day. To receive exemption benefits, individuals must visit the local health center with their ID after quarantine release to obtain a quarantine release certificate. Authorities plan to establish a system for issuing certificates through a website around December. The quarantine release certificate for vaccine pass exemption can be issued up to six months from the date of quarantine release.

Those who cannot be vaccinated for unavoidable reasons can receive benefits if they experienced severe adverse reactions such as anaphylaxis, Guillain-Barr? syndrome, myocarditis, or pericarditis after the first dose, or if a doctor’s opinion states vaccination should be postponed due to immunodeficiency, chemotherapy, or immunosuppressant treatment.

Restrictions on facilities requiring the vaccine pass will be lifted regarding operating hours and capacity (one person per 8㎡) in the first stage, and quarantine measures such as bans on eating and drinking will be eased in the second stage. The use of electronic certificates such as the COOV application is recommended for proof of vaccination, alongside paper certificates (issued by health centers or separate websites) and vaccination stickers attached to IDs.

The government plans to evaluate the safety of vaccine pass facilities after the first stage and consider lifting the application for lower-risk facilities after the second stage. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stated, "To enhance compliance on the ground, a one-week grace period will be operated with strengthened publicity." Especially, indoor sports facilities will have a two-week grace period considering refunds and extensions for unvaccinated users when the vaccine pass is applied starting next month.

Emergency plan prepared... To be implemented when bed occupancy reaches 75%

MSD (Merck)'s oral COVID-19 treatment 'Molnupiravir' [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The government has also prepared an emergency plan in case of a surge in critically ill patients. The emergency plan will be implemented if the ICU bed occupancy rate reaches 75% or more, or if the 7-day moving average exceeds 70%. Lee Ki-il, First Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "We changed the bed occupancy rate criterion from 80% in the draft to 75% following expert advice that implementing the emergency plan at 80% means hospitals are already full."

Additionally, the quarantine and monitoring period for contacts will be shortened from 14 days to 10 days.

Meanwhile, oral COVID-19 treatments will be introduced from the first quarter of next year in line with the expansion of home treatment. The government announced that it has secured 270,000 doses of oral treatments through advance purchase contracts with MSD (Merck) for 200,000 doses last month and Pfizer for 70,000 doses this month. It will continue monitoring development and plans to secure an additional 134,000 doses, totaling 404,000 doses. These treatments will be prescribed to mild to moderate COVID-19 patients with high-risk factors such as underlying diseases and old age. Jeong Eun-kyeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, added, "Nine domestic pharmaceutical companies are conducting clinical trials on candidate oral treatments. We will continue support throughout all stages and expand purchase and use of drugs that can be applied clinically."

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