"Baseball Stadium Chicken and Beer OK, Cheers NO"… "Halloween Impact Causes Sharp Rise in Confirmed Cases, 1-Week Lag Expected"

On the afternoon of the 1st, the professional baseball 2021 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO postseason wildcard game between the Kiwoom Heroes and Doosan Bears was held at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Spectators are waiting for the game to start while enjoying chicken and beer.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] In line with the implementation of the "gradual return to daily life (With Corona)" policy, the health authorities have once again urged restraint in shouting and chanting during eating, which is considered a high-risk activity, following the pilot allowance of full eating inside baseball stadiums. They anticipate that the surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases due to relaxed quarantine measures such as "Halloween Day" will become more pronounced starting next week.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, warned during a COVID-19 briefing held on the morning of the 2nd, "Cheering and chanting are prohibited inside baseball stadiums," adding, "Even if masks are worn, shouting and chanting increase and intensify droplet emissions, reducing the complete blocking effect of masks." He also emphasized, "Eating is allowed only when the group consists entirely of fully vaccinated individuals, but naturally, masks are removed while eating, and shouting or chanting at that time is even more dangerous."

Following the phased return to daily life measures implemented the previous day, various food and drinks such as "chimaek" (chicken and beer) were permitted inside the Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, during the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason wildcard first game between the Doosan Bears and the Kiwoom Heroes. However, during the game, vocal cheering through prohibited shouting was continuously observed in various areas. Under the phased return to daily life measures, those using the quarantine pass are allowed to eat inside the stadium, but vocal cheering remains banned.

Son explained, "Since it was the first day, we recognize these issues," and added, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is currently working with each team and association to devise and discuss measures to ensure strict compliance with these rules."

On the 24th of last month (local time), a Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur took place at London Stadium in the UK. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

However, in overseas cases such as the English Premier League (EPL) soccer matches, not only vocal cheering but also the mandatory wearing of masks have been completely lifted. Regarding this, Son said, "It seems to be a difference between East and West," explaining, "Asian countries including Korea believe in the effectiveness of masks in preventing infection, whereas Western countries continue to debate their effectiveness." He added, "If vaccination is the first line of defense, mask-wearing is considered the second and final line of defense," and stated, "Even for fully vaccinated individuals, we want to approach situations where masks are removed or their protective effect is compromised with caution."

Meanwhile, the health authorities expect that the surge in confirmed cases feared to occur during the gradual return to daily life process, which began on the 1st following Halloween Day on the 31st of last month, will become apparent starting next week. Son said, "We anticipate increased transmission due to the rise in various gatherings and events during Halloween and the transition to daily life," and explained, "With the Delta variant becoming dominant, which has a shorter incubation period than previous non-variants, the increase in confirmed cases due to this will appear with about a one-week delay."

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