Restaurants and Cafes to Operate Until 11 PM Starting Today... COVID-19 Patients Treated in General Wards as Well

Multi-use Facility Operating Restrictions Delayed from 9 PM to 10 PM to 11 PM
Approximately 730 Mild Patients Using Isolation Beds Advised to Relocate

On the 4th, at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station, where the number of new COVID-19 cases surged by about 70,000 in one day to 266,853, citizens are receiving rapid antigen tests. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The government will extend the operating hours of 12 types of multi-use facilities, including restaurants and cafes, by one hour until 11 p.m. until the 20th. The allowed number of private gatherings remains unchanged at six people. Although the number of new confirmed cases has exceeded 200,000 daily and severe cases and deaths are rapidly increasing, the government explained that this decision aims to alleviate the accumulated difficulties in the livelihood economy.

Before the Omicron Peak Has Even Arrived... Government Eases Quarantine Measures Again

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 5th, the operating hours of all multi-use facilities nationwide, including restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues, which were restricted until 10 p.m. until the previous day, will be extended to 11 p.m. starting today. This is an additional one-hour extension just two weeks after the previous adjustment on the 18th of last month, which extended operating hours from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Accordingly, all multi-use facilities such as entertainment pubs, danran pubs, clubs, nightclubs, emotional pubs, hunting pochas, colatecs, dance halls, restaurants, cafes, karaoke rooms, bathhouses, indoor sports facilities, lifelong vocational education academies, PC rooms, arcades, multi-rooms, casinos, party rooms, massage and therapy centers, movie theaters, and performance halls can now operate until 11 p.m.

The maximum number of people allowed for private gatherings remains at six regardless of vaccination status, as before. Exceptions apply for cohabiting families or cases requiring care such as children, elderly, or disabled individuals.

Previously, the quarantine pass (proof of vaccination or negative test) applied to multi-use facilities and gatherings to verify vaccination history was fully suspended starting from the 1st. With the removal of the quarantine pass, events and gatherings that were previously limited to fewer than 50 participants can now accommodate up to 299 people regardless of vaccination status. Essential corporate activities such as regular shareholders' meetings and events like exhibitions and fairs, which have separate guidelines, will no longer have participant limits as long as basic quarantine rules are followed.

The quarantine authorities expect that the one-hour extension of operating hours will not significantly impact the spread of COVID-19. They anticipate that the increase in confirmed cases at the peak of the outbreak due to this measure will be within 10%. Kim Chan-soo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), said, "Extending operating hours by one hour does not lead to increased outings among the elderly, so the impact on severe cases and deaths will not be significant."

Lee Ki-il, the first controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said in a briefing, "We judged that fully easing or lifting social distancing measures carries risks, so we adjusted them to the minimum extent. From the next social distancing adjustment, we will seriously consider further easing measures."

"Preparing for Bed Shortages" ... Utilizing General Beds and Securing Additional Pediatric Specialized Beds

However, key quarantine indicators such as the number of severe cases and deaths are rapidly worsening, and many medical experts are concerned about the shortage of available beds. Accordingly, the government has decided to move mild patients currently hospitalized in semi-severe and moderate isolation beds to general beds. This is because many mild patients who do not require oxygen therapy are occupying semi-severe and moderate beds, and this measure aims to use beds more efficiently.

As of the 3rd, among patients in semi-severe and moderate beds who have passed 10 days since specimen collection, 731 patients not receiving oxygen therapy were recommended to be transferred to general beds or rooms. However, if medical staff determine that additional isolation treatment is necessary and submit supporting documents, patients can continue treatment in the same room. Patients requiring additional treatment due to underlying conditions can also be moved to general beds instead of isolation beds to continue treatment.

Additional pediatric specialized beds for COVID-19 pediatric patients have also been secured. So far, 26 designated pediatric specialized regional hospitals have been established in the metropolitan area, Chungcheong, Honam, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions, excluding Gangwon and Jeju, with a total of 1,442 beds available. The first controller said, "As of the 3rd, 1,233 pediatric specialized regional hospital beds have been opened," and added, "A designation request has been received for the Gangwon National University Children's Hospital, which will be immediately designated as a pediatric specialized regional hospital."

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