NEW SOCIAL DISTANCING LEVELS

[Anchor Lead]

The government has announced new social distancing levels for each region. Seoul and the capital area will be under level two while other regions will be under the lowest level one. The government plans to gradually raise the ceiling on the number of participants in private gatherings.

[Pkg]

With a business curfew in effect, restaurants, gyms and other public facilities in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do Province can only operate until 10 p.m.

[Soundbite] Song Kyung-soo(Screen golf range owner) : "Customers usually come past 8 p.m. after having dinner. Under the 10 p.m. business curfew, more than two people cannot play the game."

Their business hours will be extended to midnight, as partially eased level two social distancing rules take effect from July 1. There will be no business curfew at all for movie theaters, internet cafes and commercial study rooms. Entertainment and nightlife facilities will be allowed to resume business and operate until midnight. In the capital area, the permissible number of people for private gatherings will be raised to six. After a two-week trial period, the government will then decide on whether to increase the ceiling to eight. No more than 50 people will be allowed to participate in rallies for the time being. But this could also be gradually raised to 100.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "There are concerns that it is still early to ease social distancing rules. During the two-week trial period, the government will carry out special checks on quarantine situations and stress adhering to basic anti-virus rules."

Regions outside the capital area will be under level one social distancing. So there will be no business restrictions in those areas. Residents will be able to slowly return to pre-pandemic life. But the permissible number of people for private gatherings will be limited. In regions other than Chungcheongnam-do Province, the ceiling will be eight people for a two-week trial period. In Jeju, up to six people can gather for private purposes. Daegu will announce the ceiling on Tuesday. Gatherings with immediate family members will not be affected by the rule both under level one and two. Fully vaccinated people will be exempt from such limitations when holding private gatherings.