Ahn Cheol-soo: "COVID-19 Business Hour Restrictions Must Be Lifted... Contradicts Quarantine Pass"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, demanded on the 28th a review of the government’s COVID-19 quarantine measures. He called for lifting regulations such as business hour restrictions targeting self-employed individuals and establishing scientific guidelines.

On the same day, Ahn stated through social media (SNS), "The spread of COVID-19 caused by the government’s incompetence is directly leading to the suffering of self-employed people and small business owners," adding, "To alleviate their pain even a little, I demand a revision of the government’s quarantine measures."

First, Ahn insisted, "The government should lift the uniform business hour restrictions." He said, "It is contradictory for the government to impose business hour restrictions while introducing the quarantine pass system," and added, "The quarantine pass guarantees that the risk of infection transmission is low, so restricting business hours for those who meet this criterion is a double regulation and denies the purpose of the quarantine pass."

Regarding the quarantine pass, he said, "People who have recovered from COVID-19 and those who test negative by PCR should be treated the same medically," and stated, "Strictly enforcing the quarantine pass for these three groups while lifting business hour restrictions is a reasonable approach."

He also demanded an adjustment of fines for businesses violating the quarantine pass. Ahn pointed out, "Customers who violate the quarantine pass guidelines are fined 100,000 won, but self-employed individuals face fines of 1.5 million won and up to 10 days of business suspension," criticizing, "The idea of controlling through heavy fines is a bad policy that shifts the government’s quarantine failure onto self-employed people and even forces them to act as monitors."

Regarding business restrictions, he said, "Scientific quarantine guidelines should be created based on crowding, closeness, and enclosure," and added, "Rather than mechanically limiting the number of people, limiting the number of entrants per business area is scientific." Ahn proposed that distancing tables, periodic ventilation and disinfection, and installing partitions are effective measures.

Additionally, he urged, "The president should personally appeal for the third (booster) vaccination and expedite securing sufficient oral therapeutics."

He emphasized, "The public is exhausted by the brute-force, arbitrary Moon Jae-in-style K-quarantine that controls and suppresses solely through administrative power," and urged, "The government must think and strive more to protect the lives and livelihoods of the self-employed and small business owners while achieving quarantine effectiveness."

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