Civic Groups Say "Restricting Assembly Numbers Is Unfair... It Can Be Done Safely"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Although the phased restoration of daily life measures allows up to 499 people to participate in gatherings, civic groups argue that "the restriction on the number of participants itself is the problem."

The 'Public Authority Monitoring Response Team,' formed by human rights and civic groups such as People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, and the Human Rights Movement Room, held a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall on the 29th to criticize the government policy announced that day.

The Public Authority Monitoring Response Team stated, "Why must the number of participants still be restricted when the risk of infection spread at gatherings is extremely low?" and added, "If gatherings are conducted while following quarantine rules, they can be held safely."

They claimed that except for confirmed cases related to last year's Sarang Jeil Church gathering and the August 15 Liberation Day Gwanghwamun gathering, only seven confirmed cases have occurred from other gatherings.

They further explained, "The difference between the August 15 Liberation Day Gwanghwamun gathering and other gatherings lies in whether basic quarantine rules such as mask-wearing and social distancing were observed during the gatherings."

They submitted a statement with these opinions to Seoul City, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), and the Central Accident Response Headquarters (CARH).

According to the final version of the 'Phased Daily Life Recovery Implementation Plan' announced earlier by the CDSCH, from the 1st of next month when the first phase revision is applied, up to 99 people can participate in gatherings and events regardless of vaccination status. When only fully vaccinated individuals, PCR test negative individuals, and those under 18 participate, up to 499 people are allowed.

For gatherings with 100 or more fully vaccinated participants, the organizer must verify the vaccination status of all attendees and prevent anyone who is not fully vaccinated from participating.

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