Cafes Let out a Sigh of Relief Thanks to Incoming Customers. Internet Cafes to Engage in a "Lighting Protest" after 9 p.m.

[경향신문]

On January 18, when customers were allowed to eat and drink in cafes and tearooms due to the adjusted physical (social) distancing, customers enjoy their drinks in a café in Seoul. Kim Young-min

“It’s so nice to have people drink coffee in the cafe.” “We’re still on the brink of closing business.”

On January 18, the first day that the adjusted physical (social) distancing was enforced, business owners voiced more despair than joy. Starting this day, cafes were allowed to have customers eat and drink in their stores and gyms also opened for business, but most owners said that restrictions had to be eased further and that more government funding was needed.

At 10 a.m. this morning, four middle-aged women entered a small privately owned café in Sangdo-dong, Seoul. They said, “It’s been nearly two months,” and greeted the owner, Yi Mi-gyeong (60), asking, “How have you been?” Yi gave them complimentary cookies. Yi said, “I only sold 5-6 cups of coffee a day. That didn’t even cover the cost of the ingredients, let alone the rent. It’s so nice now that the café is teeming with life.” As for the government’s guidelines that prevent customers from staying longer than an hour, Yi said, “It’s unrealistic, and compared with restaurants, it is not fair.” People who study at cafes, who weren’t spotted for some time, also showed up in some cafes.

Restrictions for private academies were also adjusted this day. Previously, they were only able to have up to nine students taking classes at any one time, but now they are able to accept one student for every eight square meter. A (32), a teacher at a private English academy in Ilsan, Goyang-si in Gyeonggi-do said, “The head of our academy told us never to take off our masks during class and to go outside the classroom to drink water.”

Many gym owners were not satisfied with the latest adjustment. B (50), who runs a gym in Mapo-gu, Seoul said, “For gyms, January through March is a busy season, but group exercises (GX) are still not allowed and we have to close at 9 p.m. So it’s not easy to get new members to sign up.” Kim Seong-wu, head of the Korea Fitness Manager Association said, “Resuming business was the natural thing to do,” and added, “People are allowed to use the showers in saunas, public bath houses, and swimming pools, but not in the gym. Such government measures are not fair.”

Some owners of restaurants, singing rooms, and Internet cafes also complained about extending the ban on gatherings of five or more people and the ban on businesses after 9 p.m. Yun (58), who owns a restaurant serving grilled intestines in Donggyo-dong, Seoul said, “We used to receive customers from 8 p.m. until late night, but due to the restriction on business hours, I have had to cut my staff from ten to two.” Another Yun (56) who owns a singing room in Seogyo-dong said, “We were back in business after two months, but singing rooms are where people go to after restaurants close at 9 p.m. How could they now?” This day, Internet café owners who are members of the Cooperative of Internet Contents Providers in Korea decided to start a “lighting demonstration” by closing their stores and leaving their lights on after 9 p.m. in protest of the restriction on business hours.

Owners of clubs and other entertainment spots excluded from businesses allowed to operate opposed the latest government decision. The Korea Federation of Bars and Clubs sent a letter to its members notifying them to open at their discretion from this evening. The Gwangju branch of the federation said, “We asked the disease control authorities to lift the ban on gatherings, but they did not accept our request. So we decided to resume business as scheduled.” The owners of bars and clubs in the Gwangju area visited Gwangju City Hall this morning and asked authorities to either lift the ban on gatherings or provide practical compensation for the losses. Over 70 members of an organization representing the bar owners in Incheon also held a press conference at Incheon City Hall this day and demanded “fair measures.” On January 21, they will organize a demonstration calling for the government to let them open for business.

Business owners in the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do area, where local governments had lifted the ban on gatherings the previous day only to readjust them due to clashes with the government guidelines, also poured out their complaints. Bak (45), who has been running a Japanese-style bar for four years in Dalseo-gu, Daegu said, “After hearing the long-awaited news of extended business hours, I had my hopes up and ordered more ingredients, but was dumbfounded to see it all canceled in just a day.” He asked, “Isn’t it better to give the local governments the authority to make the decision according to the local situation?” One person who runs a gym in Nam-gu, Daegu said, “I sent out text messages to all our members that they would be able to use the gym until 11 p.m. beginning January 18, but I had to send another message after watching the news.” He further said, “It has been quite a while since I have not been able to make ends meet with government subsidies. I’m seriously considering closing the business.”