S. Korea to impose Level 3 social distancing outside greater Seoul from Tuesday

A ban on private gatherings of more than four people is also to be extended

People cool off on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, on Sunday. (Yonhap News)

As a rise in COVID-19 virus confirmed cases in the greater Seoul area feeds another rise outside of it, Level 3 social distancing is to be applied throughout South Korea outside of the capital region from Tuesday to Aug. 8.

A ban on private gatherings of more than four people is also to be extended, although 81 cities and counties with low patient numbers and populations below 100,000 people will be allowed to decide their levels independently.

“The nationwide spread [of COVID-19 infections] is apparent, with the area outside of greater Seoul accounting for more than 35% of confirmed cases,” President Moon Jae-in said at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Sunday.

“In response to this, we have decided to implement intensified disease control measures, including raising the distancing to Level 3 across the board outside of the greater Seoul area,” he added.

The duration was meant to coincide with the deadline for Level 4 distancing in the greater Seoul region, but ended up lasting a little short of two weeks at 13 days due to a one-day delay in the implementation date to allow for preparations.

The decision comes in response to a situation where infection numbers remain static in greater Seoul, while confirmed cases have grown for four straight weeks and travel volumes have failed to decline outside of greater Seoul, most notably in the South Gyeongsang, Chungcheong, Gangwon, and Jeju regions.

“There are 226 administrative units at the city, county, and district level in South Korea, with 160 of them located outside of the capital region,” said Son Young-rae, director of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters social strategy group, in a briefing Sunday.

“Out of those [160], 81 have populations under 100,00 people, and those will be able to decide whether to upgrade to Level 3 based on discussions between their local government and the metropolitan city or province [they belong to],” he said.

As a reason for this, Son said that “many local governments had expressed the view that an across-the-board upgrade would be an excessive regulation step in regions with high vaccination rates and without much population movement, especially farming and fishing communities.”

The Level 3 measures mean that restaurants and cafes outside the greater Seoul area will only accept customers on their premises until 10 pm, after which only takeout and delivery orders will be allowed. Public baths and karaoke establishments will not be allowed to operate past 10 pm either.

A Level 3 regime does not ban gatherings at nightlife establishments or impose a 10 pm closing time on after-school academies, indoor gyms, and arcades, although local governments may choose to add such measures as needed through administrative orders.

Attendance at assemblies and events is capped at 49 people, as is the number of people allowed to attend weddings and funerals. Attendance at religious services is restricted to 20% of seating capacity.

Other disease control measures are intended to reflect the vacation season. They include a ban on nighttime consumption of alcoholic beverages at settings used by large numbers of people, including parks, recreation areas and beaches.

Hospitality businesses will only be allowed to provide three-quarters of their total rooms to guests, and the number of guests staying together is to be limited to four, not including family members who live together. Parties and events organized by the host establishment are to be prohibited.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is beefing up requirements for beach operation by individual local governments, including mandatory mask-wearing at most beaches even for vaccinated people and expanded bans on food consumption after dark in addition to drinking.

On Sunday, Daejeon Metropolitan City and Yangyang County in Gangwon Province decided to upgrade their social distancing to Level 4 in response to recent rises in confirmed cases.

By Seo Hye-mi, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]