No Visitor Logs or Vaccination Confirmations... Collapsed Quarantine Mindset, Predicted Surge

Ignoring QR Check and Vaccination History Verification at Bars
Indoor Sports Facilities Only Ask "Have You Been Vaccinated?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] On the afternoon of the 17th, a pub with a capacity of 150 seats across two floors located in the Youth Street of Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, had no special restrictions from the moment of entry. There was no QR code check, and the staff only provided customers with a safety call number. Many customers ignored this and took their seats, and the staff took no particular action. Although most customers that day were groups of six or more, there was no procedure to verify vaccination records. Currently, private gatherings are allowed up to 10 people in the metropolitan area, but for restaurants and cafes, private gathering regulations apply, limiting unvaccinated individuals to a maximum of four.

The situation was similar at bars near Hapjeong Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Until last month, visitor registration was strictly enforced, but now it has become lax. Some places lacked thermometers or hand sanitizers. This contrasted with the previous practice where entry was only allowed after staff confirmed visitor registration and measured body temperature.

Since the introduction of With Corona, quarantine rules have been breaking down in many places. COVID-19 confirmed cases have been recording in the 3,000s daily. This is due to customers’ relaxed attitudes toward quarantine and passive responses from business owners.

Park Jeong-won (34, pseudonym), who runs a restaurant in Seoul, said, "It was fine during the early days of With Corona, but recently many customers show dissatisfaction when we carefully check vaccination records," adding, "Sometimes they complain to the staff, so we generally just accept customers without much fuss."

Some indoor sports facilities, where the guidance period has ended, strictly comply with quarantine guidelines, but many do not. At an indoor sports facility in Jung-gu, the only measure was asking members, "Have you been vaccinated?" A representative of the facility said, "There was only a thermometer, but even that is not being used," adding, "Since retaining current members and attracting new ones is critical, we hesitate to cause inconvenience to members."

The quarantine authorities appealed, saying, "Following quarantine rules is absolutely necessary and a prerequisite for returning to normal life," and warned, "If the prerequisites for returning to normal life are not met, it will be difficult to endure no matter how much the government and medical community try."

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