"Only Masks Remain"... Gwangju City Fully Lifts Quarantine Rules Starting the 18th

Operation Allowed Without Personnel or Time Restrictions... Indoor and Outdoor Mask Wearing Remains Required

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Junho] Social distancing quarantine rules in Gwangju, including restrictions on the number of private gatherings and business hours, will be fully lifted except for mask-wearing.

Moon Young-hoon, Acting Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced in an online COVID-19 briefing on the 15th, “Starting from the 18th, all social distancing quarantine rules will be fully lifted, and preparations for a phased return to normal life will begin.”

In the Gwangju area, the number of confirmed cases has stabilized after a decline following a peak of 12,301 cases in one day on March 29.

Nationally, the number of confirmed and critically ill patients has also passed its peak and is showing a clear downward trend.

Accordingly, the government has comprehensively considered the damage to self-employed businesses and the public’s fatigue caused by prolonged social distancing, and decided to fully lift quarantine rules starting on the 18th.

Private gatherings will be allowed without restrictions on the number of people, and multi-use facilities such as restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues will be allowed to operate without time limits.

Events and assemblies, which were previously limited to a maximum of 299 people, and religious facilities, which were allowed up to 70% of their capacity, will now be open without any restrictions on the number of participants.

The ban on indoor eating and drinking in places such as movie theaters, religious facilities, and transportation facilities will be lifted starting from the 25th after a one-week preparation period.

However, the minimum preventive measure of wearing masks indoors and outdoors to prevent infection will be maintained as is.

Acting Mayor Moon said, “Although most social distancing measures have been lifted, the COVID-19 crisis is not over yet due to the possibility of new variants emerging. Also, even if you have recovered after infection, reinfection is possible, so complacency is not allowed.”

He added, “As you have done so far, please continue to follow daily quarantine rules such as ▲vaccination ▲constant mask-wearing ▲providing individual tongs and plates for sharing food at restaurants ▲proper handwashing ▲adequate ventilation ▲and refraining from private gatherings if you have symptoms.” He also urged, “Those who have tested positive should refrain from dining with family or acquaintances and visiting multi-use facilities for 2 to 3 days after the 7-day isolation period ends, and maintain a distance of at least 2 meters.”

Meanwhile, the government is preparing to transition to a general medical system in the post-Omicron era.

It is reported that from the 25th, the COVID-19 infectious disease classification will be adjusted from Level 1 to Level 2.

The transition of the management system following the reclassification will be implemented gradually over about four weeks with a sufficient grace period. Until separate policies are announced, the current 7-day isolation requirement for confirmed cases and the home treatment system will be maintained.

Once stabilized, the isolation requirement will be relaxed to a recommendation, and government support for treatment costs and living expenses will be discontinued, managing COVID-19 under the general medical system.

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