Starting Today, Nationwide Suspension of Quarantine Pass... Negative Test Certificates Will No Longer Be Issued

On the 25th, medical staff are guiding citizens at the temporary COVID-19 screening site in front of Seoul City Hall. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as of midnight on the same day, 165,890 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total to 2,665,077. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] From the 1st, the nationwide implementation of the vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system will be completely suspended.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, from 0:00 on this day, the government has suspended the application of the quarantine pass for 11 types of facilities including restaurants and cafes, as well as infection-vulnerable facilities, and gatherings, assemblies, and events with more than 50 people. This comes four months after it was first introduced in November last year.

The facilities where the quarantine pass has been lifted specifically include ▲entertainment facilities (entertainment bars, danran bars, clubs, nightclubs, hunting pocha, emotional bars, colatec, dance halls) ▲karaoke (coin) practice rooms ▲indoor sports facilities ▲bathhouses ▲bicycle racing, motorboat racing, horse racing, casinos ▲restaurants and cafes ▲multi-rooms ▲PC rooms ▲indoor sports stadiums ▲party rooms ▲massage parlors and massage shops, totaling 11 types of multi-use facilities.

Also, the quarantine pass for visits to patients or residents in medical institutions, nursing facilities, hospitals, facilities for the severely disabled and dementia patients, senior centers, and welfare centers for the elderly?facilities vulnerable to infection?will be suspended. The quarantine pass applied to large-scale events and assemblies with more than 50 people will also be lifted. Accordingly, QR code authentication or presentation of a negative test certificate will no longer be required for entry to these facilities or events. Public health centers will also stop issuing negative test certificates from this day. The vaccination pass for adolescents, which was scheduled to be implemented from the 1st of next month, has been temporarily withdrawn.

The government explained that due to the Omicron variant outbreak, the focus of quarantine policy has shifted to 'high-risk groups and voluntary quarantine,' and considering policy confusion caused by lawsuits to suspend the quarantine pass, the quarantine pass has been discontinued. However, this is a provisional measure, and the quarantine pass may be reinstated in the future depending on the emergence of new variants or vaccination status.

From this day, the guidelines for quarantine of close contacts have also changed. Previously, unvaccinated cohabitants were required to self-isolate for 7 days, while vaccinated individuals had no quarantine obligation. From now on, regardless of vaccination status, all are exempt from quarantine obligations and will be subject to passive monitoring.

Regarding testing methods, previously, cohabitants had to undergo two PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests: immediately after being classified as cohabitants and on the 6th to 7th day. Going forward, they need to take a PCR test within 3 days and a rapid antigen test on the 6th to 7th day (PCR test for those aged 60 and above). The new standard will be retroactively applied to existing quarantine and testing subjects from this day.

Meanwhile, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases on this day is expected to be in the mid-to-high 130,000s. According to the quarantine authorities and local governments, from 0:00 to 9:00 p.m. the previous day, 133,917 people nationwide in 17 cities and provinces tested positive for COVID-19.

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