Gwangju City Limits Private Gatherings to 'Up to 8 People' Starting from the 6th... Strengthening Quarantine Guidelines

Expanded Application of 'Quarantine Pass' in Multi-use Facilities

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 3rd that starting from the 6th, private gatherings will be limited to 8 people, and quarantine guidelines will be strengthened by expanding the facilities subject to the vaccine pass.

Currently, in the Gwangju area, since the 1st, 190 confirmed cases have occurred in 62 daycare centers, kindergartens, and elementary, middle, and high schools, and 82 confirmed cases have occurred in nursing hospitals in Seo-gu and Gwangsan-gu over the past two weeks. Since the 20th, 60 cumulative confirmed cases, mainly in their 50s to 80s, have been reported at two bathhouses located in Buk-gu.

The city considers it inevitable to strengthen quarantine measures to suppress the spread in the community, considering the rapid transmission speed of the Omicron variant and the possibility of reduced vaccine effectiveness.

Accordingly, the city decided to focus on additional vaccinations and vaccinations for the unvaccinated in line with government policies and to implement additional quarantine measures such as vaccine passes and restrictions on private gatherings.

The number of people allowed for private gatherings will be limited to 8, and the vaccine pass will be expanded to strengthen protection for the unvaccinated.

The scale of private gatherings will be adjusted to reduce personal contact such as meetings and appointments, thereby lowering the risk of infection.

Private gatherings, which were allowed up to 12 people regardless of vaccination status, will be strengthened to 8 people for 4 weeks from the 6th until January 2 of next year.

The vaccine pass will be applied to restaurants and cafes where mask-wearing is difficult, but considering their nature as essential facilities, an exception will be recognized for one unvaccinated person within the private gathering limit (8 people). The vaccine pass will also be expanded to indoor multi-use facilities such as academies, PC rooms, and movie theaters.

The measures will be implemented from the 6th, but a one-week guidance period will be set until the 12th to minimize confusion on site.

Existing facilities subject to mandatory vaccine pass application include entertainment facilities (entertainment bars, karaoke bars, clubs/nightclubs, hunting pubs, emotional pubs, colatecs/dance halls), singing (coin) practice rooms, indoor sports facilities, bathhouses, bicycle racing, motorboat racing, horse racing, and casinos. Newly added facilities include restaurants and cafes, academies, movie theaters/performance halls, reading rooms/study cafes, multi-rooms (excluding arcades), PC rooms, indoor sports stadiums (spectator), museums/art galleries/science centers, party rooms, libraries, and massage/therapy centers.

Facilities not subject to the vaccine pass include wedding halls, funeral halls, amusement facilities (theme parks, water parks), arcades, shops/marts/department stores, outdoor sports stadiums (spectator), outdoor sports facilities, accommodation facilities, kids cafes, first birthday parties, exhibitions/fairs, beauty salons, international conferences/academic events, door-to-door sales promotion centers, and religious facilities.

In addition, to suppress the spread among adolescents, the exception range for the vaccine pass currently recognized for those under 18 will be adjusted to those under 11, so the vaccine pass will apply to those aged 12 to 18. However, those 11 and under will continue to be exempt from the vaccine pass.

Adolescents will be given a grace period of about 8 weeks to receive vaccinations, and the measure will be implemented from February 1, 2022.

Kim Jonghyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju, said, “Currently, our city’s vaccination rate (based on the second dose) is 79.3% of the total population, with a vaccination rate of 94% among those in their 40s to 60s, while those aged 12 to 17 remain at 33.2%,” and added, “We ask for the active cooperation of citizens so that all 1.3 million citizens aged 12 and over can complete vaccination.”

He continued, “The government and experts explain that only by receiving the third dose can high preventive effects be maintained,” and said, “Citizens who have completed the second dose are requested to complete the third dose early according to the quarantine authorities’ guidelines.”

Furthermore, he added, “Please postpone unnecessary gatherings and events, comply with quarantine rules such as wearing masks and social distancing, and actively participate in additional vaccinations and adolescent vaccinations.”

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