Unvaccinated Adolescents Will Be Barred from Attending Academies Starting February Next Year (Comprehensive)

Severe COVID-19 Patients Remain in the 700s Daily
Vaccination Proof and Negative Test Required in Most Multi-use Facilities Like Restaurants and Cafes
Excluding Wedding and Funeral Halls
Experts Say "Buying Time to Reorganize Healthcare System"

On the 3rd, medical staff at Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, are guiding a citizen to the COVID-19 patient ward. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy reporters Seo So-jeong and Lee Chun-hee] The phased return to normal life (With Corona), which began last month due to the surge in COVID-19 cases and the domestic spread of the Omicron variant, has finally come to a halt. The government has taken emergency measures, including implementing a vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system (quarantine pass) for most multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes. The application of the youth quarantine pass is scheduled to begin in two months, and controversy surrounding this is expected to continue.

◆Exclusion of quarantine pass for wedding halls, funeral halls, etc.= According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 3rd, as of midnight, 4,944 new confirmed cases were reported, approaching the 5,000 mark. The number of critically ill patients increased by 3 from the previous day to 736, setting a new record daily. Among the 736 critically ill patients, 610 were aged 60 or older, accounting for 82.9% of the elderly patient ratio. The number of deaths increased by 34 from the previous day, bringing the domestic cumulative fatality rate to 0.81%. With additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant reported the day before, the total number of infected individuals has risen to six.

First, to control the outbreak, the government is reducing the allowed number of private gatherings. With the onset of winter increasing indoor activities and the rise in social contacts during the year-end and New Year holidays, the need to strengthen restrictions on private gatherings has grown. In the metropolitan area, private gatherings are limited to a total of six people, including one unvaccinated person who has not received or completed vaccination. In non-metropolitan areas, gatherings of up to eight people, including one unvaccinated person, are allowed.

The quarantine pass will also be applied to most multi-use facilities, including restaurants, cafes, academies, PC rooms, and movie theaters. Considering the essential nature of restaurants and cafes, an exception is made to allow one unvaccinated person within the scope of private gatherings. However, facilities essential for basic living or where applying the quarantine pass is difficult due to the nature of the facility, or where meeting and event standards apply due to the facility's characteristics, are exempt from mandatory quarantine pass application. Facilities exempt from the quarantine pass include wedding halls, funeral halls, amusement facilities (amusement parks, water parks), arcades, shops, marts, department stores, outdoor sports stadiums (spectator areas), outdoor sports facilities, lodging facilities, kids cafes, first birthday parties (doljanchi), exhibitions and fairs, door-to-door sales promotion centers, and religious facilities.

Professor Jeong Ki-seok of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital said, "Since eating and drinking mainly take place in restaurants and cafes, wearing masks is difficult, and the risk of infection is inevitably high. As year-end gatherings increase and movement is expected to rise, measures to reduce personal contact are absolutely necessary." Despite strong opposition from small business owners and self-employed individuals regarding the application of the quarantine pass to restaurants and cafes, the government decided to implement it with a one-week grace period, recognizing the severity of the COVID-19 situation. Instead, the government plans to discuss with related ministries ways to reduce the burden of electronic entry log installation costs on small businesses during the expanded implementation of the quarantine pass.

As the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients continues to hit record highs daily, medical staff are transferring patients at Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang-gu, Seoul on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The youth quarantine pass will be applied starting February next year. The quarantine pass will be widely expanded to multi-use facilities frequently used by youth, such as PC rooms, study rooms and study cafes, libraries, and academies, which were previously exempt from the quarantine pass. To suppress youth infections, the government has adjusted the exemption range from those under 18 to those under 11 and decided to apply the quarantine pass to those aged 12 to 18, but the implementation date has been postponed to February next year. Considering the low vaccination rate among youth, a two-month grace period will be given, and the system will be enforced from February 1. As of the previous day, the COVID-19 vaccination rate for those aged 12 to 17 was only 47.3%, with a completion rate even lower at 26.5%.

◆Urgent need to reorganize the medical system= Experts agree that strengthening social distancing is an inevitable measure. Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Gachon University College of Medicine said, "Applying the youth quarantine pass is not a fundamental solution to the current surge in critically ill patients," adding, "From a quarantine and medical perspective, stronger measures than today's are necessary, but it seems the government considered the damage to small business owners." He added, "Measures such as strengthening social distancing should buy as much time as possible over the next four weeks to reorganize the insufficient systems like home treatment and securing hospital beds. If effective after four weeks, preparations to resume With Corona should be made simultaneously."

Professor Chun Eun-mi of Ewha Mokdong Hospital expressed concern, saying, "In a situation where the Omicron variant is likely already spreading in the community, stronger quarantine measures such as bans on gatherings and restrictions on business hours should be implemented. If the home treatment system is maintained at the current level without support for medical personnel and hospital beds, deaths at home will soon occur frequently."

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