Government: "Expansion of the Vaccine Pass Necessary to Stabilize Quarantine Situation... Will File Immediate Appeal" (Comprehensive)

On the afternoon of the 4th, an official is posting a notice about the 'Suspension of the Quarantine Pass' at a study cafe in Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the court has put a brake on the vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system (vaccine pass) for educational facilities such as academies, the government has decided to file an immediate appeal. The government reiterated that the vaccine pass is an unavoidable measure to protect the unvaccinated and stated that to stabilize the current quarantine situation and achieve 'gradual daily recovery (With Corona),' the vaccine pass should rather be expanded.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH), said at the regular COVID-19 briefing on the morning of the 5th, "Yesterday, the Administrative Court granted a suspension of execution regarding the expansion of the vaccine pass for three types of facilities: academies, reading rooms, and study cafes," adding, "The government holds the position that expanding the vaccine pass is necessary to stabilize the current quarantine situation and resume daily life recovery, and will proceed with the main lawsuit as quickly and sincerely as possible. We also plan to file an immediate appeal against this suspension decision."

Currently, the quarantine authorities mandate the vaccine pass for a total of 17 types of facilities, including ▲entertainment facilities (pubs, karaoke bars, clubs, nightclubs, hunting pubs, emotional pubs, colatecs, dance halls) ▲karaoke rooms ▲indoor sports facilities ▲bathhouses ▲bicycle racing, motorboat racing, horse racing, casinos ▲restaurants and cafes ▲academies ▲movie theaters and performance halls ▲reading rooms and study cafes ▲multi-rooms (excluding arcades) ▲PC rooms ▲indoor sports stadiums (spectator) ▲museums, art galleries, science museums ▲party rooms ▲libraries ▲massage and bodywork establishments ▲department stores and large marts over 3,000㎡.

To use facilities where the vaccine pass is applied, a vaccination certificate showing that at least 14 days have passed since the completion of vaccination must be submitted. Additionally, unvaccinated individuals who have a negative PCR test, children and adolescents under 18, COVID-19 recovered patients, and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons can enter facilities according to the respective criteria if they have the relevant documentation. Unvaccinated individuals can use restaurants and cafes alone without related documents.

Since the 3rd, the validity period of the vaccine pass has also been set. It is valid for 180 days after the second dose, and the effect is renewed upon receiving the third dose. Those who received the second dose in the first half of last year and have not yet received the third dose cannot use facilities requiring the vaccine pass without a negative PCR test. The validity period for the vaccine pass renewed by the third dose has not been separately set.

An unvaccinated person against COVID-19 is checking in with a QR code at a restaurant in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the application of the vaccine pass to academies, reading rooms, and study cafes has been suspended since the day before due to the Seoul Administrative Court's decision to suspend execution (suspension of effect) until the related case is ruled. Although the government has continuously expanded the vaccine pass to prevent the spread of COVID-19, criticism that it is 'forcing vaccination' has been ongoing, but this is the first time a brake has been applied. According to the legal community on the day, the government's litigation representative submitted an immediate appeal to the Administrative 8th Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Chief Judge Lee Jong-hwan), which heard the suspension case. However, it is uncertain how long it will take for the immediate appeal decision to be made. It could take at least several weeks to several months.

The quarantine authorities plan to take additional measures such as reinstating previous quarantine measures for facilities where the vaccine pass application has been suspended. Son said, "Since the density criteria were removed when applying the vaccine pass, there is a problem where the risk is actually greater than before in terms of quarantine," adding, "We believe it is necessary to temporarily strengthen the density limits to some extent." Before the introduction of the vaccine pass, academies had a density restriction of one person per 3㎥ or one seat apart, and reading rooms and study cafes had a one-seat-apart restriction.

The government emphasized the necessity and effectiveness of the vaccine pass and stated that it should be expanded in times of crisis. Son said, "Although unvaccinated individuals account for only 6% of those aged 18 and over, they have accounted for 30% of confirmed cases aged 12 and over in the past eight weeks and 53% of severe cases and deaths," emphasizing, "The vaccine pass is not simply to increase vaccination rates but aims to minimize infections among unvaccinated individuals who are at high risk of severe illness and death, thereby protecting them and reducing the strain on the medical system to secure capacity and sustain daily recovery."

He also conveyed the position that the vaccine pass is essential for With Corona. Son explained, "During the daily recovery process, outbreaks may increase," and at this time, "the main factors pressuring the medical system are infections among the elderly and unvaccinated, so strengthening quarantine measures in elderly facilities and expanding the vaccine pass to block infections among the unvaccinated are the primary response strategies." He explained that in the With Corona process, local quarantine measures such as expanding the vaccine pass are first strengthened to overcome the crisis, and if the crisis is not resolved, stricter social distancing measures, which are effective but can cause significant damage to the livelihood economy, are inevitably introduced in order. However, he added that if the situation stabilizes, the scope of the vaccine pass will be reduced again to control the level of outbreaks.

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