Starting Tomorrow, Quarantine Pass Applies to Department Stores and Large Marts...Fines Imposed on Those with Expired 'Validity Period'

An information notice about the application of the quarantine pass is installed at the entrance door of Daegu Department Store Plaza Branch in Jung-gu, Daegu. Large-scale stores with an area of 3,000㎡ or more, such as department stores and large marts, will be newly subject to the quarantine pass starting from the 10th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] From the 10th, the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate/negative test confirmation system) will also be implemented in department stores and large supermarkets. Accordingly, visitors to these facilities must present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate or a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) negative confirmation issued within the last 48 hours.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on the 9th, from the 10th, large-scale stores such as department stores and large supermarkets will be added to the mandatory quarantine pass targets.

However, to prevent confusion on-site, a one-week guidance period will be set until the 16th. From the 17th, fines and administrative sanctions will be imposed for violations.

Large-scale stores subject to the quarantine pass include shopping malls, marts, department stores, and agricultural and fishery product distribution centers with an area of 3,000㎡ or more.

Currently, 2,300 locations nationwide, including department stores and large supermarkets where electronic entry log QR codes must be scanned for entry, fall under this category.

Small stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc., which do not check QR codes, are not subject to the quarantine pass.

Previously, quarantine passes were not applied to large supermarkets due to difficulties in managing entry. However, as fairness issues with restaurants and cafes continued, the quarantine authorities changed the guidelines.

Exceptions to the quarantine pass, such as COVID-19 recovered individuals or those exempted for medical reasons, require a quarantine release certificate or an exemption confirmation.

Without such certificates, unvaccinated individuals cannot use large-scale stores even alone.

The quarantine pass applies only to store users. Employees such as sales staff are not restricted from entering stores even if they have not completed vaccination, as before.

Children and adolescents under 18 years old, who are exempt from the quarantine pass, can use large-scale stores regardless of vaccination status.

Meanwhile, starting from the 10th, the quarantine authorities will also impose fines and administrative sanctions for violations of the quarantine pass validity period.

Previously, the government set a one-week guidance period from the 3rd and established the quarantine pass validity period as up to six months (180 days) from 14 days after the second vaccination (or after the first vaccination for Janssen recipients).

With the guidance period ending on this day, from the 10th, users who violate quarantine guidelines by gathering in restaurants or cafes without separate documents such as a PCR negative confirmation despite the quarantine pass validity period having expired will be fined 100,000 KRW per violation.

Facility operators must pay fines of 1.5 million KRW for the first violation and 3 million KRW for the second and subsequent violations.

Facility operators may also face separate administrative sanctions in addition to fines. The suspension period increases with each violation: 10 days for the first, 20 days for the second, 3 months for the third, and closure orders may be issued for the fourth violation.

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