STRICT QUARANTINE ON ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES

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Quarantine authorities are poised to ramp up crackdowns on entertainment facilities, which pose a high risk of cluster infections. These include bars, night clubs and dancing facilities. We have the details

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​This is what things were like at a night club in Seoul when social distancing measures were in full swing. Due to the loud music playing at the club, people can only have conversations by speaking close to each other, but no one is wearing masks. This is the perfect environment for COVID-19, which spreads through respiratory droplets. In the past two weeks, when social distancing measures were strengthened, the government inspected some 30,000 entertainment facilities nationwide. More than 7,300 of them were found to have violated quarantine guidelines, such as wearing masks and maintaining a distance of one to two meters from each other. Authorities ordered 43 of the inspected places to suspend their operations for committing serious violations. Although most of these facilities in Seoul have been temporarily closed as a result of crackdowns, some continue to draw scores of visitors who stand in line to enter. Quarantine authorities have vowed to ramp up crackdowns.

[Soundbite] CHUNG SYE-KYUN(PRIME MINISTER) : "Clubs are enclosed spaces posing a high risk of cluster infections. This is a cause for concern as young people can become "silent spreaders.""

From now on, inspections on entertainment facilities will be held from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., their busiest business hours. Crackdown teams will comprise of public officials in charge of hygiene, police and private inspectors. Places that are found to have violated hygiene guidelines will be ordered to stop gatherings and will be fined.